A Place of Healing
by A lesson before dying
Summary: While visiting La Push for the summer, Adele's only plan was to grieve her father's death. However, she finds a missing part of herself on the reservation. His name is Paul.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy. **

**I do not own any twilight characters or anything else belonging to Stephanie Meyer.**

It was an unusually sunny day in Portland, Oregon. Adelaide was somewhat unnerved at the weather. The day she was leaving town just happened to be the same day that the sun came out. It hadn't been out in a while, despite the fact that summer had just begun. Adelaide scanned the tiny apartment for anything she was missing. Bags were packed and the miniscule apartment was spotlessly clean. It probably wouldn't be lived in for another three months. Adelaide, Adele for short, had her bright blonde hair up in a messy ponytail which her hands were constantly pulling on due to nervous habits. She was moving out and she wouldn't be back here until the end of summer. This may not seem like a big ordeal for the normal college student, but Adele was alone. She wasn't used to doing things all by herself, especially something big like moving. She may have been twenty-one, but she felt as if she were newly eighteen and being thrown to the wolves. Her nails were bitten down to the bone and there was only a slight trace of the nail polish that she had applied only two days before. Adele took a deep breath and hoisted her bags over her shoulder.

"You can do it, stupid girl. It's just an apartment." As she spoke, she tried to muster up all her courage. This apartment had been her home for three years and it was her "safe" place. She knew this trip was needed and it was given to her so graciously, she couldn't back out now. "Goodbye." She grimaced as she pulled her bags out into the hallway and locked up the door.

After a miserable walk down two flights of stairs with three bags, Adele clambered into her old toyota 4runner. She pulled out her phone and brought up mapquest, searching for her destination. Re-memorizing the route she was to take for the next 5.5 or 6 hours, Adele pulled out of the parking garage and she was on her way La Push, Washington.

Adele wasn't leaving anything behind now that classes had finished at Portland State University. Originally from Sacramento, California, Adele had received a full-ride scholarship to attend PSU. She didn't hesitate to take it, going straight into the honors program as a Biology major. She had never been a very social person, never really knowing how to fit in with everyone in high school. The time she would've spent with friends after school or on weekends had been alternatively spent on homework and studying. She wasn't a natural genius and took a lot of effort to get to where she was now. Regardless of the loneliness that surrounded her sometimes, she was proud of what she'd made of herself so far.

She'd made some friends at PSU, which was a nice change from high school. Her best friend had been her roommate freshman year in the dorms. Her name was Sierra Adams, and she was the complete opposite of Adele. Sierra was giggly, charming, and outgoing. She was the perfect companion for a somewhat reserved and sheltered Adele. There were other friends here and there that Adele kept in touch with, but nothing serious. She was lucky she had someone as strong and sweet as Sierra to fall back on during her hardest year yet.

Adele's father had passed away 4 months ago and she hadn't been able to truly grieve while stuck in school and in the middle of exams. She knew she could have taken a break and her professors would have understood. But, she wanted to push through so she could relax when summer came along. The day after her last exam, Adele sat down on her bed and sobbed. The time to mourn and miss the man she had loved so dearly was now. She had broken down a couple times before then, but she always managed to keep it together just until she could finish her junior year. After that night of openly sobbing and dry-heaving, Adele began to pack her bags.

Three months ago, Adele was offered a cabin up in La Push for the summer. Sierra was originally supposed to house-sit during the summer for her parents up in Washington. She invited Adele and they made a summer out of it- they were to relax and get away from the pressures of school and family and just enjoy themselves. When Sierra heard about Adele's father, she urged her to go to La Push without her and just regroup. Adele had refused up until the day before she was to leave. Sierra had a feeling it would be good for her to go up by herself, at least for the first couple of weeks. As much as Adele denied it, she was glad that Sierra was hanging back for a while. She had been feeling so lost and it would be nice to just have some time alone to do whatever she liked.

The sun kept shining down on Adele through the windshielf and she frowned. Secretly she wished it was raining and dreary, so it would match her mood. She hoped she wouldn't get badly sunburned this summer; her skin was fair enough that it just took a little bit of sun to burn. The closer she got to La Push, the more excited she was getting. She still had the familiar feeling of emptiness in her stomach, but it was a tad lighter than it had been yesterday. Adele loved the ocean and she loved forests. La Push was like the best of both worlds to her. She couldn't believe she had just found out about it recently.

Five hours later, due to a little bit of speeding, Adele reached the outskirts of La Push, Washington. She pulled over to get her bearings and checked her mapquest once more. Ten more minutes of driving and she was pulling into the gravel driveway of her summer home. Adele's eyes widened as she took in her surroundings. She was surprised Sierra hadn't given her a heads up about the house. It was beautiful and quite cozy looking. There was green everywhere and the trees were gigantic. She couldn't wait to bust out her camera and find some good shots to take.

Adele unlocked the front door and peered inside. She instantly breathed in the deep woodsy scent that lingered in the air. The kitchen was small, but workable. She made a mental check to try out the gigantic fireplace located in the middle of the living room in front of the couch. She could see herself holed up here with a good book a blanket. The giddy excitement was coming in full force and Adele felt somewhat normal for the first time since her dad passed away. After a quick check through the rest of the house, she found there were three bedrooms and three bathrooms, a study with a computer, and a gigantic back porch looking over an even bigger back yard leading into the forest. Adele was blown away by the simplicity and beauty of the place she was in. It was so secluded and breathtaking. She needed to remember to get Sierra and her parents a huge thank you present for letting her stay here.

"Thank goodness for La Push." She breathed as she skipped back outside to grab her bags. She had a good feeling that this was the place to begin her healing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two**

Night had fallen by the time Adele unpacked all of her bags. She laid the rest of her jeans in the bottom drawer of the dresser and pushed it shut. The room looked a little more comfortable as she took in her books on the bedside table and her guitar case resting against the armchair in the corner. Adele had slipped into some flannel pajama bottoms and a plain cotton t-shirt to get more comfortable. The house had a slight chill to it and she already had a tendency to be cold.

She slipped on some socks and headed towards the kitchen. She would have to go grocery shopping tomorrow, but she wanted to see if there was anything she could snack on before she went to sleep. Opening the fridge she saw multiple water bottles, but not much else that could be edible. Adele rummaged through the cupboards and found some hot chocolate mix, which would have to do for the night.

While the water was heating up on the stove, Adele gazed out the window. The serenity of the forest was overwhelming. She was glad she didn't get scared of bumps in the night anymore or else she wouldn't be able to stay here by herself. She could hear the wind blowing against the house and she watched the leaves sway with the movement. She was so zoned out she jumped when the kettle started to whistle. She giggled to herself, pouring a cup of water and then slowly mixing in the hot chocolate powder.

Cup in hand, she tip-toed back to her self-designated room. Adele climbed into bed and sipped the steaming liquid. The warmth and sweetness of it made her sleepy almost instantly. Within a couple minutes, she was out for the night.

The next morning Adele woke up startled, and didn't really understand why. She was sitting up in bed, rubbing her eyes. Her body was tense, but she couldn't remember why she felt this way. Had she been having a bad dream? She didn't normally wake up this early on her own. Her eyes went to the clock on the wall and she read that it was just barely ten. Just as she was settling back down into the pillows to sleep for maybe another hour, she heard a loud banging noise.

She hopped out of bed, not even bothering to look in a mirror, and headed straight to the front door. Why was someone here so early? How did they know she was here? She hadn't stopped to talk to anyone in town. Feeling anxious about what laid on the other side of the door, Adele paused and ran her fingers through her hair. She took a deep breath and squinted through the peephole. All she could see was the back of a woman's head.

She unlocked the door, and opened it slowly as the woman turned around to face her. If Adele had been in a normal emotional state, she may have gasped out loud at the woman before her. Her face was beautiful but it looked like she had been mauled on the right side. Two huge scars ran from her forehead down to her chin. Luckily for Adele she was so emotionally numb, she must've just looked tired to the woman standing outside.

"Hello!" The woman's smile was so bright and infectious that Adele found herself smiling slightly back at her. She looked to be about Adele's age or maybe a year or two older, and she was holding a big basket full of things.

"Um.. hello." Adele wasn't exactly sure what to do in this situation. It was ten in the morning and she was still in her pajamas, probably looking just as damaged as she felt.

"Would you like to come in?" She opened the door a little wider to let the woman in. She hoped that was the polite thing to do. She wasn't really used to random people coming over with gifts. The woman walked in almost immediately and set her basket down on the coffee table in the living room.

"I'm Adelaide, Adelaide Bristol." The woman looked up and smiled again, coming towards her with her hand outstretched.  
"I"m Emily Uley." They shook hands and Adele hesitated, trying to decide what to do from here. Should she excuse herself to get changed, or would Emily Uley care if she sat here in her flannel pants and fuzzy socks while they chatted? Emily giggled quietly and Adele smiled a bit awkwardly.

"I'm sorry I just busted in on you here. I'm a bit of a force of nature," Emily sighed, her perfect smile lighting up her face. It was hard for Adelaide to squash the envy of Emily being so carefree and completely beautiful even though she had physical scars to match Adele's emotional ones.

"My husband and I live up the road a bit," Emily added, tossing her hand towards the front of the house as she spoke. Adelaide's eyebrows rose as she took this new information in. She realized she was being somewhat of a mute and tried to smile as Emily continued to speak.

"You're probably confused as to how I, or I should say we, know that you're here. As you know, this is a small area and everyone knows everything that goes on around here. Plus The Adams' mentioned that you'd be coming at some point and asked Sam and I to keep an eye on you."

Adele nodded before speaking, "That makes sense I guess. I didn't even realize anyone saw me yesterday." While she spoke, Adele thought back to her drive the day before. She was almost positive she hadn't passed anyone on the road once she got within ten miles of La Push. She'd remembered thinking that it was so quiet and no one was around. How had someone known she'd gotten here so soon?

Emily laughed and caused Adelaide another burst of irrational jealousy. "Well, you'll learn that not much around here goes unnoticed." She winked at Adele and her jealousy subsided a bit. It was too hard harboring any ill-will towards this girl.

"Anyways, I forget myself sometimes. I brought you some things to welcome you to La Push. Don't tell me I didn't have to. I am so excited to have another girl here my age. You wouldn't believe how many men I am stuck with on a daily basis. I barely get female interaction besides my mother." Emily grinned at Adele and she felt herself smiling back, even though she hardly knew this person.

"I'm sorry, I've barely let you talk since I waltzed in the door. I'm usually not this excited." Emily grinned apologetically towards Adele, who wasn't sure how to handle being put on the spot.

"It's alright, I'm glad to know I'll be getting some social interactions this summer. I didn't even take into account that I wouldn't know anyone here." Adele realized how helpful it would be to have Emily around some of the time during her stay here. Phone calls to Sierra could only keep her sane for so long.

"Are there not very many girls our age here?" Adele asked, taking a seat across from Emily on the couch. The fact that Emily was always surrounded by men confused her, and she was hoping she would get a little more information. Adele inwardly frowned, she didn't need to be thinking about boys right now. She was here to relax and heal so that next year she could finish out school and move on. She knew deep down it would never be that easy. She looked back up Emily, realizing that she hadn't answered her question yet.

"Um.. well there are a few. I guess not a lot of girls around here like me. Rumors and all that.." Emily stopped talking, looking thoughtful. Adele couldn't help the words that burst from her mouth.

"Rumors? Like what?" She blinked and then quickly gave a nervous laugh. "You don't have to answer me. I didn't mean to pry. I guess I'm nosey on impulse." Emily giggled and shook her head, indicating that she didn't mind the questions.

"I got together with Sam, my husband, in kind of an unconventional way." She looked somewhat sad as she continued to speak. "I think most girls think they would be traitors to the female race if they were to befriend me. Most of the friends I had before college have left the reservation already." Adele had so many questions, and took the information greedily. Why she was feeling like she needed to know everything about Emily? Why did she care?

"Anyways, that's why I'm so glad you're here. Even if it is just for the summer. My husband and his friends are wonderful, but they're around all the time. I never get a moment to be a girl." Emily smiled at Adele. "I hope we'll be good friends." Adele knew that they would. She didn't know why exactly, but she already felt so much at ease with Emily.

"I'm sure we will be," Adele added and Emily's smile grew. You barely noticed her scars once she smiled. Adele found herself barely noticing them at all anymore. She wondered how this sweet girl could make all the girls around dislike her.

"So, what did you bring me?" Adele reached for the basket, sending Emily a teasing smile. She pulled out the first box and saw that it was hot chocolate mix. "Oh fantastic! I just had the last mix last night." Adele sifted through the rest of the basket, thanking Emily after everything she pulled out. Thanks to her new neighbor she wouldn't have to buy any sweets for the rest of the summer. There were enouh cookies to last her a lifetime. Emily had truly outdone herself and Adele knew she must be desperate for female companionship.

"So what does your husband do?" Adele asked, as they both sipped some tea. Adele was sitting crosslegged on the couch and realized she was still in her pajamas with her new friend. What a great first impression. Emily's face lit up as Adele mentioned Sam.

"He does a number of different things. He co-owns a mechanics shop mainly. He's been investing in properties around here lately.." As Emily spoke, Adele couldn't help but see how much she cared for her husband. It was written all over her face. Even though they were talking about mundane things like work, Emily made it seem so wonderful. Adele wondered if she'd ever feel that way about a man.

Emily glanced the clock on the wall and gasped. "It's already noon! Time flew by!" She laughed, standing up and setting her cup of tea down. Adele stood up along with her as they walked to the door.

"I'm sorry I took up so much time! I should get back to the house and start making lunch. The boys will be wondering where I am." She winked at Adele, grabbing her purse and walking outside. Adele waved as Emily hopped into her jeep. She watched as Emily started the car and then rolled down her window, popping her head out.

"Adele, we're going to have a bonfire tomorrow night! You should come! I'll come by tomorrow and pick you up? Around seven?" Adele was shocked that she was already being invited out, one day after she arrived.

"Um.. Sure. That'd be great, Emily." Adele smiled as Emily clapped her hands. "I'll see you tomorrow! Make sure to wear a jacket, it gets cold out here at night." With one last wave, Emily was driving away and Adele was standing on the front porch in her pajamas.

"Oh Adele, what have you gotten yourself into?" She murmured to herself, heading back inside. She was wide awake now after having a two hour chat with Emily. Adele headed into her room and changed into some dark jeans, leaving her white cotton shirt on, and pulling a thin fleece over it. She glanced in the mirror over her dresser and winced at the paleness of her skin. She wasn't tan, but usually she wasn't this dead looking. After applying some eyeliner and mascara, Adele decided she at least looked alive. Her hair was down in waves, hanging around her face. She decided not to mess with them and let them do the natural thing today. Hopefully she wouldn't see anyone who would care. She was just going to go to the grocery store after all.

Unluckily for Adele, the grocery store in La Push on a Saturday was the place to be.

It didn't take long to find and the parking lot was full, which seemed unusual to Adele. She felt a bit out of place with her blonde hair and pale skin as she walked into the store. Everyone was staring at her and it made her a bit uncomfortable. She grabbed a shopping cart and headed down an empty aisle. Hastily grabbing the necessities such as bread, milk, and eggs, Adele took her time going through the fruits section. She wasn't the best grocery shopper and she tended to be an irresponsible one when she was hungry. Her stomach growled and she knew she was in trouble.

"I've heard it's not wise to grocery shop on an empty stomach." Adele twisted around, embarrassed that her stomach had sold her out. The man before her took her breath away. Tan skin, short dark hair, and muscles. Lots of muscles. Maybe what made him the most attractive was the fact that he was bouncing a toddler on his arm as he grinned at her. Adele was a sucker for a man who was good with kids. She assumed most women were.

"You must be Adele." He spoke again and she nodded, barely surprised that he knew who she was. "Is she yours?" Adele motioned to the adorable little girl giggling in his arms. The man looked down smiling gently at the girl before him.

"No, she's just a little nuisance who won't leave me alone." The little girl shook her head violently at Adele, making her giggle.

"Claire." The little girl pointed to herself and then pointed to the man holding her and announcing his name as well. "Quil." Adele smiled at the pair of them, they were truly adorable. It was different to see a man who looked to be about twenty-five willingly hanging out with a toddler who wasn't his own.

"It is so nice to meet you Claire and Quil." Adele offered her hand out to Claire who took it and shook it enthusiastically. Quil smiled at the two of them, setting Claire down in the grocery cart in front of them.

"It's nice to meet you too, Miss Adele." Adele blushed as Quil smiled down at her. He was so handsome. They made small talk before Adele decided to move on and finish grocery shopping. As much as this man looked like a Quileute God and seemed like an amazing guy, she wasn't looking for a relationship. Sierra probably would've punched her if she could see what was going on.

"Goodbye Miss Adele!" Adele giggled as she waved goodbye to Claire who was trying to climb over Quil's shoulder to say goodbye. She found herself really enjoying this reservation so far. The people who spoke to her were so friendly and welcoming.

The rest of the day was spent unpacking groceries and reading, before she fell into a much needed sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

I've been writing a lot quicker than I thought I would be, so here's another one. I know the grammar isn't perfect in these. I'm kind of lazy and tend to selectively ignore my bad grammar. So, for that I apologize. Maybe one day I'll go back and edit. But, for now this is just for fun. I hope you enjoy. :)

**Chapter Three**

The sun shone in through the windows of Adelaide's room, efficiently awaking her. She groaned and pulled the covers up over her face, falling back asleep for a couple more minutes. The sun was shining so magnificently that she fell victim to it's charm, sliding out of the bed and stepping onto the cold floor. The book she had been reading the night before fell to the ground with a loud thump and she nearly fell over from the noise. She wasn't having very much luck sleeping in so far. She slid into the same jeans as the day before and walked to the kitchen to make some brunch.

A batch of scrambled eggs and a glass of milk later Adele decided to hike around the "back yard" of her vacation house. She slid on a fitted, black long sleeve cotton shirt with a square neckline, deciding to flaunt her feminine side a bit. She grabbed her DSLR camera and slid the strap around her neck. Photography was a hobby that her and her father had tried out on more than one occasion. While walking out the door, she couldn't help but feel like the grief wasn't as overwhelming here in this secluded reservation. She was free from pressures of school and friends who were wondering how she was doing. She could just be herself.

Adele locked the back door, stuck the key in her back pocket, and walked straight towards the back of the yard. There was a little hike that looked like it hadn't been used in a while. Adele switched her camera on and put her eye up to the viewfinder, taking a photo of a pretty flower. She hoped that once she got back to Portland she could print out some good pictures to decorate her bland apartment.

It was a beautiful day in La Push. Probably one of ten days of the year that the sun was out. A perfect day for taking pictures of nature. Adele stumbled along the trail, stopping here and there to snap pictures of the sunlight drifting through the trees, or random flowers that caught her eye. After a while she decided she should probably turn back before she got too embedded in the woods to find her way out. As she was about to turn around, Adele noticed a nosie that she wasn't familiar with in the forest.

She could hear waves crashing. Adele's eyes drifted towards the sound and she bit her lip, wondering if she should follow the noise, or if she should just head back. Feeling a bit more adventurous she turned suddenly towards the sounds of the ocean. As she got closer she could taste the salt in the air. Just the smell made her lips quirk into a small smile. Suddenly there was sunlight all over her and the ocean was right below her. She had found her way to the cliffs. Taking a deep breath of the salty air, Adele pulled her camera up and snapped some shots of the beautiful picture in front of her. She sat down and leaned her head back, taking in the sun like oxygen.

With the smile, tears came as well. The moment she had seen the ocean, she thought of her father. The memories of playing at the beach in California when she was younger; the times they had gone exploring in forests and up mountains with just their cameras and a waterbottle. Her father had been one of her best friends and her only constant. Her tears of happiness soon turned to sadness as she wished he was here.

"I miss you," She choked out. Her words were taken away by the wind, but she knew somehow he could hear her. She believed that he was watching over her and guiding her. How else could she have ended up here- in this perfect place. With her head tilted up to the sky, she took a deep breath as she willed the tears to slow. Prior to that moment, Adele had thought her tears had all dried up. Now she was aware that so many more would spill if she didn't get a hold of herself. She managed to calm herself before her nose started to run and took a few deep breaths. Crying was such an eerily cleansing experience.

Adele stood, gazing out at the ocean one more time before turning back to the forest. She knew she would be here again mutliple times this summer, so she didn't feel nostalgic walking away. It took her a while to get back to the house, but she enjoyed the trip back. Finally she burst through the trees into the backyard.

The house was adorable, bathed in the afternoon sun. It was white with a gray roof and random patches of flowers splayed out in the backyard. Adele could just picture a cute family living there. Her thoughts led her to Quil and Claire. They seemed like the type of perfect people living here, with the addition of Claire's mom, or whoever Quil was doing favors for. Adele's thoughts then drifted to Emily and the bonfire she would be attending later.

The rest of the afternoon passed by in a relaxing manner. Adele found herself enjoying not doing anything productive. She laid on the couch in the living room and read some more of her book before dozing off. She woke up about an hour before Emily said she would pick her up, so Adele forced herself to get off the couch.

The time passed by so fast that Adele barely had time to put on some new jeans and braid her hair before she heard Emily's jeep pull up. She eyed herself in the mirror before going outside and shrugged. She had lost a lot of weight since her father passed away, and it wasn't a good weight loss. Normally she was curvy and average sized, but now she just looked too skinny. Adele braided her bangs and pinned them to the side to get them out of her face. If they were headed to the beach, she knew her hair would misbehave as soon as they got there. Adele grabbed her gray fleece and her purse and headed for the door.

Emily was waiting outside of the jeep with an extremely good looking man, who immediately reminded her a lot of Quil.

"Adelaide! This is Sam, my husband!" Emily grinned and Adele watched as Sam smiled adoringly at Emily. She was right, they were perfection. The jealousy was rearing it's ugly head again.

"Hello Sam, I've heard so much about you." Adele stuck out her hand and shook Sam's hand, which she found was unnaturally warm. "I've heard all about you too, believe me." Sam laughed, squeezing Emily's shoulder and pulling her into his side. His voice was so deep, Adele began to imagine him in a romance novel. She shook her head, trying to clear her idiotic thoughts. She couldn't help noticing that La Push bred extremely good looking, rugged men.

"Everyone's excited to meet you," Sam noted as he pulled out of the driveway. Adele inwardly groaned- she was horrible at introductions. "Who is everyone?" She asked curiously and Sam grinned at her through the rearview mirror. It seemed he could sense her anxiety. "A bunch of guys I work with and some of their families. We'll get a good fire going, eat, and tell some campfire stories. That sound good?"

Adele nodded with a sad smile. Everything here seemed to remind her of her father. She watched the trees zip by and wished she had brought her camera. Emily was chattering in the front seat and Adele laughed along to the story she was telling. It seemed that Sam's friends were more like family. Emily talked about them like they were her brothers. Adele knew she was in for an interesting night as they pulled up to the beach.

The sun was already sinking and the beach looked so calm in the twilight. As she stepped out of the car, she heard yelling and laughing. Her eyes drifted to the right where a group of people were gathered. Nerves were gathering in the pit of her stomach as Emily grabbed onto her arm and pulled her towards everyone. What had she gotten herself into?

Around twenty pairs of eyes stared at Emily and Adele as they walked up. There hadn't been too many new additions to the group over the years, so this seemed new for everyone.

"Everyone, this is Adelaide. She's going to be staying here for the summer." Emily gestured towards Adele, smiling at the people in front of her. A chorus of voices responded with greetings, but the one that stood out the most surprised her. Adele looked down and saw Claire running straight for her, arms outstretched.

Adele laughed and immediately bent down and swung the girl up in her arms. It was so easy to love this little girl. Claire giggled and touched Adele's braid gently.

"Pretty hair! Will you do mine?" Claire was stroking the braid in awe and Adele couldn't help but laugh. "Of course I'll do your hair, silly girl. You have much prettier hair than I do." Adele smiled down at the beautiful little girl. Claire let out a highpitched squeal and Adele noticed Quil watching the two of them from a couple feet away. He walked over when Claire squealed and laughed when he saw that she was just excited.

"Quil! Adele said she would make my hair pretty!" Claire was so excited that Adele was having a hard time holding on to her fidgety body. She set Claire back down on her feet, but Claire kept a firm grip on her hand.

"Claire, your hair is already pretty." Quil smiled down at her, and then winked at Adele. She blushed and let Claire drag her wherever she was headed. Thank goodness for this little girl, she wasn't the center of attention any longer. Everyone else had fallen back into their own conversations. Emily was chatting with Sam and some of the older people who were there. Claire led Adele over to the fire and sat down on one of the blankets that was laid out. It was such a beautiful night and Adele was glad she was with someone like Claire, who would hog all the attention. She wasn't used to being the one everyone talked to; she would much rather just being in the background.

"I want what you have in your hair." Claire demanded, pointing up at Adele's bangs. Adele grinned and gestured for Claire to turn around so she could get to work. Luckily she had an extra bobby pin stuck in her hair or else she would have had to let her bangs hang free. Claire sat perfectly still so Adele could fix her hair. The excitement she was feeling was obvious as she smiled gleefully and tucked her little hands underneath her so they wouldn't move. After Adele finished, she pulled the bobby pin from her hair and pinned Claire's little braid back so it would stay in place.

"There you go, sweet." Claire's hands immediately attached themselves to her hair, running her fingers over the braid softly. She jumped up from her sitting position and threw her little arms around Adele's neck. Adele hugged her back, now understanding why Quil would be so willing to babysit this little girl. Speaking of Quil, he had walked up to them again.

"Aren't you going to say thank you, Claire?" Quil asked as Claire jumped back and started thanking Adele enthusiastically.

"It was no problem. Do you like it?" Adele asked as Quil picked Claire up in his huge arms.

"I'm pretty now, too! Thank you, Adele!" Adele just shook her head, standing from the blanket and rubbing her hands on her jeans awkwardly.

"You've made quite an impression on Claire here." Quil said as Claire directed her attention elsewhere and he was forced to put her down again.

"She's a darling girl," Adele confessed, watching as Claire scurried to someone else. "I know." His eyes drifted from Claire back to Adele and she felt awkward under his stare. "Emily seems to love you already too.. I wonder who else you'll make an impression on." He was grinning at her now and she felt like he was implying something, but she couldn't understand what.

"Come on, I'll introduce you to some people. Emily seems to be stuck in conversation and you probably won't get Claire's attention again until she talks to everyone." Quil motioned for her to follow him and Adele bit her lip as she walked with him. They headed over towards the water where a group of guys were throwing around a football. The sun had almost set in the distance, making the water glow beautifully. She tore her eyes away from the sunset and saw an equally beautiful sight in front of her- hello more men from La Push.

Inwardly Adele gasped at the sight of them. They were all huge. Emily must have been pumping steroids into the lunches she made for these people. She wasn't used to being in the presence of so many beautiful men, she almost didn't know what to do with herself. As she brought herself back to the present, she heard them all laughing and shouting. Quil made a strange whistling noise and the majority of them turned to look at him.

"Yo Quil, finally get tired of babysitting?" One of the men shouted at him, wearing a toothy smile. The question was said in a teasing way and Adele glanced up at Quil's facial expression. He seemed passive enough, rolling his eyes at the comment.

Once they were close enough, Adele felt all the stares upon her. She looked up as Quil introduced her and saw all of them smiling at her. If she was faint-hearted, she would be passed out right now. She gave a feeble wave and said hello as they all approached her. Adele felt like she was on display at a toy store by the way they crowded her.

"Where are you from?"

"We don't get very many girls around here."

"You're a pale-face!"

Adele laughed out loud at the last comment and saw it was the same guy who was teasing Quil. She instantly felt at ease somehow. The way they were speaking to her now was like she was an instant friend, and she enjoyed it.

"I'm from Portland, but originally from California. I'm staying here for the summer." More random questions were thrown at her and she answered them as best she could, avoiding topics that would lead back to her family. Quil explained how he had met her yesterday and then someone tossed her a football. Adele wasn't one to brag, but she was pretty good at throwing and catching balls. Baseballs, footballs, basketballs... she loved throwing and catching. However, if you wanted to actually give her rules to these games- that wouldn't work out so well.

Adele caught the football easily, raising a brow at the toothy smiled man who kept teasing her. He was testing her, to see if she would throw it back. Little did he know, she could keep up.

"And who might you be?"

* * *

**Sorry, no Paul in this chapter! But probably in the next one. I haven't decided how they're going to first interact yet. Hope you like it so far. Review if you want. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you to all of those who are reading this story. :) I hope you enjoy it.

**Chapter Four**

"And who might you be?" Adele asked, twirling the football around. She had learned some of their names already- Embry, Jacob, Brady, and Jared- but she had yet to put a name to this guy.

"I'm Seth. Are you going to hold on to the football all night?" He raised a brow and she smiled geniunely. Some guys who talked like this could be considered obnoxious. But Seth was too happy to be considered rude. Adele looked down at the football and made a facial expression as if she was contemplating hanging on to it. A moment later she decided to be nice and throw it back. Her arm was definitely not very strong, so the force behind the throw wasn't great. However, the football spiralled perfectly towards Seth and he caught it without having to move a muscle. Adele selectively ignored the look Seth was giving her and turned to walk back to Emily. As she walked, she heard footfalls behind her and she glanced over to see Seth beside her. He was grinning like a maniac.

"Finally- there's finally a girl who can throw a ball without complaining, asking how, or not touching it at all." Seth breathed, looking at her as if she had grown a new head. Adele threw back her head and laughed, she loved these people already. It was going to be so hard to leave when summer was over. She had never felt this relaxed so soon after meeting a group of new people.

"My dad and I used to throw a ball around once in a while. He always wanted a son, and I was the best he could do." Adele said, smiling. The pain of mentioning her dad was still there, but it seemed duller and not so fresh anymore. Her smile fell a bit, and she hoped the impending darkness would hide her expression.

It seemed like everyone was gathering around the fire now and Adele and Seth followed suit. She giggled as Seth made a joke and sat down next to him in front of the fire. One of the older men, who Seth said was Jacob's father, was sitting in a wheel chair in the middle of all the blankets. His face looked tired, but his eyes were sparkling in the firelight. She wondered what kind of stories he was going to tell. Adele felt goosebumps on her arms as a chill blew through the air. Her fleece was pretty light, and she realized how cold her skin was getting. The fire was helping a bit, but her feet were the only things getting heat from it. She felt Seth's amused gaze on her and she looked over at him with a questioning smile.

Seth made a big show of looking around as if to check if someone was watching them. She had no idea what was going on as she watched him yawn really loudly, and stretch his arms over his head. Then he lowered his right arm right on top of her shoulders and gave her a big wink. Normally Adele would have smiled politely and removed his arm, but tonight she giggled. What was it with these Quileute boys and making her feel like she fit in? She knew Seth was just joking around with her, so she let his arm stay comfortably on her shoulders.

"Why is your skin so warm? We're not even that close to the fire." Adele whispered and Seth grinned down at her. "I'm a hotblooded male, what did you expect?" Adele smacked his hand off her shoulders, laughing. Internally, she wondered if he was just avoiding the question. She was about to call him out on it when everyone stopped talking. Her eyes drifted back towards Billy, Jacob's father.

"I know most of you have heard these Quileute legends before. But it is tradition." His eyes seemed to twinkle even more as a slight smile lit up his face. He began to tell the legend of how the tribe was formed. Adele was surprised that she was so interested in the Quileute legends, but the way Billy spoke of them made them seem so real. Goosebumps reappeared on her skin, but this time it wasn't from the cold.

"You Quileutes shall be brave, because you come from wolves. In every manner you shall be strong." Billy's words penetrated the silence and as he continued, Adele thought over this statement. It had to be a coincidence that every man her age was, indeed, extremely strong. She glanced around at the group and even the older men looked like they could bench her without any problems. As her eyes passed over the people in the group, she noticed a man walking towards the group from where they had parked the cars. Adele moved her eyes back to Billy, deciding it was probably just another one of Sam's friends.

Seth's arm fell back on her shoulders as she leaned against him, stealing some of his body heat. Adele could tell they were going to be friends, and she was excited at the prospect. The legends continued and Adele found herself smiling, her knees pulled into her chest, leaning against Seth. By the time Billy stopped talking, Adele was just as interested, but a lot more tired. Emily had joined Seth and Adele after Billy was finished, apologizing to Adele for leaving her in Seth's clutches for so long. Adele laughed at Seth's affronted expression.

"It was no problem. I took advantage of his super human warmth anyways." She winked at him, and he put his hand over his heart, sighing. "You girls are always using me. I feel so... taken advantage of." Emily and Adele rolled their eyes. A couple minutes later, Emily and Seth were helping Adele to her feet.

"I'm going to pass out as soon as I get to my bed," Adele noted, wrapping her arms around her torso. The fire was nearly out by now and the chill was coming back to her unhealthily skinny body. Seth was frowning at her as she shivered from the cold. He sighed dramatically and dropped his arm back over her shoulders and she snuggled into the warmth instinctually. "You know there are these things called jackets.." Seth said, and she poked him in the side.

"Umm.. I think I know- I am wearing one after all." She laughed as he shook his head.

Emily walked off to find Sam and Seth waited with Adele, if only to keep her from catching a cold.

"So Seth, you work at Sam's shop?" Adele asked and Seth nodded. "Yeah, somewhat. I'm taking some online classes right now as well." Seth continued to talk about the classes he was taking, and as Adele listened she felt like there were eyes on her. She glanced over to the right where most everyone was still gathered, saying goodbye. Two eyes met hers and she blushed, looking away quickly. Those eyes must've belonged to the man who walked up in the middle of Billy's stories. She was sure she would've noticed him right away. The way he was looking at her..

Adele looked up and realized Seth was staring at her with a weird expression. "I'm sorry, I must be more tired than I realized." Adele hoped that would appease him. She hadn't heard the last couple of things he'd said. She could still feel his eyes on her and she wondered if she was just being paranoid. Adele noticed Emily walking back over to them, holding the keys to the jeep in her hand.

"Adele I am so sorry. I have to stay here with Sam a little while longer." She gestured over to the group standing by the fire. It was significantly smaller, but it seemed there was some kind of debate going on. "Seth, do you think you could drive Adele back to her house and then bring the car back?" Emily tossed him the keys as Seth nodded obediently.

Emily moved in and hugged Adele hard, smiling softly at her. "I barely got to hang out with you tonight, but I'm so glad you got to meet everyone. You'll probably be seeing them around a lot in town." She paused, looking up at Seth, and then back at Adele. "We'll have to hang out soon for some more girl time. Maybe you could come help me make lunch one day for these idiots." She winked at Seth. Adele giggled at the two of them and nodded her head.

"Yeah, that'd be great Emily. I should get you my cell number." Adele realized she didn't even have her phone with her. She hadn't even checked it since she arrived in La Push. She hoped Sierra wasn't worried about her.

"Oh don't worry about it! Maybe I can get it tomorrow... come for lunch tomorrow! I can pick you up around 11:30?" Adele wondered how she had gotten so lucky, falling into the clutches of the nicest girl around. Once they finalized their lunch plans, Seth led Adele back towards the cars. She turned back around once, searching for those eyes that had momentarily captivated her. An involuntary sigh came out when she couldn't locate them.

Adele climbed into the car as Seth held open the door for her. She watched him as he started up the car. Internally she debated on asking Seth about the man who had come late. She watched as he glanced over at her and saw her staring at the side of his face.

"What?" Seth asked, grinning at her. Adele blushed slightly at his boyish grin. She was thankful for the darkness so he couldn't see her embarrassment.

"I was just wondering if I met everyone tonight. Are there more of your group?" She asked, dancing around the subject matter that she really wanted to know about. "There really aren't very many girls." She added, hoping she sounded a little less inconspicuous.

"Yeah, we have a very testosterone filled group. I guess a couple of guys weren't there. Paul came late, so I don't know if you got to meet him." Seth looked over at her again, with a teasing smile on his face. He must've seen her when she made eye contact with him. Adele's face flushed and she bit her lip, trying to bite back a smile.

"Paul? Hm... nope, I don't think I met him." She smiled out the window as Seth chuckled.

"So are you going to tell me why there aren't very many girls around? I find it completely surprising.." She trailed off as she waited for a response.

"Why do you find it surprising?" He asked as he pulled up to the house. Adele's eyes widened and she shook her head at him.

"Are you serious? I mean your little group of friends and you.. well.." Adele didn't know what to say. They were easiest the most good-looking bunch of guys she'd ever seen at one time.

"Are you at a loss for words?" Seth laughed loudly before he continued to speak. "I guess we're just picky about girls. I don't know. We're all a bit high maintenance." Adele found that hard to believe, but shrugged her shoulders in indifference anyways. She opened the door and slid out of the warm car.

"Thanks for driving me home, Seth. I'm glad I met another friend so quickly." She smiled genuinely at him and he grinned back at her. "It was my pleasure, Lady Adelaide. I will see you tomorrow at lunch." Adele nodded and shut the door, heading towards the warmth of her bed. She unlocked the door and turned to wave goodbye to Seth who was waiting to make sure she got inside alright.

Even though she was practically sleep-walking, Adele decided to find her phone before she fell asleep. She rummaged through her purse and found it in one of the inner pockets. Flipping it open she saw she had five missed calls- all from Sierra. It was about ten thirty so Adele decided it wasn't too late to call her back. She pressed the number 5 on the speed dial and listened to the phone ring a couple times before she heard Sierra's shrill voice.

"Adelaide Bristol. Why haven't you called me back sooner? I was worried sick! I was about to get my parents to call the chief of police in Forks to come find you!" Adele smiled as she listened to her friend rant. It was nice having someone care where she was.

"I'm sorry Sierra. I really am- I've just been so busy since I got here." It wasn't exactly true, but it wasn't exactly false either. She heard Sierra sigh dramatically and Adele giggled.

"I forgot to check my phone, but I just remembered and I got to it as soon as I could. How are you?" She listened as Sierra complained about her new job and talked about a new guy who had asked her out on a date.

"I'm so bored of Portland, I just want to get out of here! But... I need the money, so I guess it's good I have a job. Anyways, I might come out the last couple weeks of summer. Will that be okay?" Adele thought it was funny that Sierra was asking her if it was okay to go to her own house.

"Sierra, of course that would be okay. I miss you already." Adele was being honest. She loved talking to Emily and Seth, but it wasn't quite like talking to your best friend.

"Okay, well I just want to make sure you get enough alone time." Adele could hear the smile in her voice and she began to get homesick. "I know.. and I'm so thankful for a friend like you. You knew what I needed before I did." She said this honestly, taking in a deep breath.

"So... she hasn't called you again, has she?" Adele shook her head before realizing that Sierra couldn't actually see her.

"No.. No, she hasn't. I hope she'll just leave me alone. Losing my dad was traumatizing enough, I don't need to add her into the mix." What was so refreshing about talking to Sierra was that Adele didn't feel like she had to censor herself. She could say whatever she wanted and she knew Sierra wouldn't judge her or pity her.

"Well, if she does, let me know. Maybe I can get my dad to help." Adele thanked her for her concern, but politely declined. She didn't need any help at the moment and for that she was extremely thankful.

"Anything else new? Have you met anyone yet?" Sierra asked and Adele filled her in on everything that had happened up until that point. She paused when she thought of those eyes, Paul's eyes.

"What are you thinking about?" She heard Sierra's inquisitive voice through the phone and she giggled. She would keep this to herself for now. Sierra would blow it way out of proportion anyways.

"Nothing, except that I'm about to pass out. I'm exhausted." Her and Sierra hung up quickly after she promised to call at least every couple of days. Adele considered just falling on the bed and letting sleep overtake her, but she knew she needed to shower. Sand had found its way into her hair even though she hadn't laid down. She sighed and tossed her phone on to the bed, walking into the bathroom to shower.

As she crawled into bed that night, the only thing she could think of were Paul's brown eyes. She'd never been so obsessed over something so ordinary as making eye contact. Logically she knew that she was being crazy and that she didn't even want a boyfriend right now. Adele sighed, pulling the covers up to her chin. She was being such a girl.

* * *

- A Lesson Before Dying


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for reading, you guys. :) While writing this chapter I was listening to DJ Tiesto's 'Feel It In My Bones (feat. Tegan and Sara) and I felt like it kind of fit. Anyways, reviews are always nice if you want to leave one.

And I do not own Twilight, or anything you may recognize from it. (Incase you forgot from the first chapter.)

**Chapter Five**

The next morning came too fast for Adele's liking. She reached for her phone as the alarm continued to beep. Her hand swatted at it, narrowly missing and she moaned loudly. She wasn't really a morning person. Reaching for it again, she finally felt it at the edge of her fingertips. She had set the alarm the night before in order to make sure she woke up before Emily arrived. She had an hour before eleven thirty. Adele sat up, pressing the end button to stop the blaring noise. As she stumbled out of bed, Adele glanced in the mirror.

"Oh..." She made a face as she prodded at the mess that was her hair. She must've slept on it at a weird angle. Adele headed to the bathroom to fix the disaster and to get dressed. She came out with her hair in a loose braid with her bangs pinned back out of her face. She was wearing black skinny jeans and a thin blue sweater that hung loosely on her skinny form. Adele made herself a fruit salad and stared out the window as she ate. She could watch nature for hours and not get bored. Well, maybe not hours. While putting her plate in the sink, she noticed Emily's Jeep coming down the secluded road.

Running to the other room, she grabbed some flat brown boots and pulled them on hurriedly. They came up to her mid-calf and she nearly fell over in the rush to get them on. As she rushed to the living room, she slung her purse over her shoulder and tossed her phone inside. Locking the door, she took a deep breath. Hopefully she wouldn't be panting when she got into Emily's car.

"Good morning!" Emily greeted her in a sing-song voice. Adele giggled, sliding inside the Jeep. "Good morning to you too. Was everything okay last night?" She asked as she put on her seat belt. Emily put the car in reverse and began to turn the car around as she answered, "Yeah, sorry about that by the way. Sam just needed to talk to some of the men there and he wanted me to stay with him." She smiled at Adele. "Husbands." Adele rolled her eyes playfully.

"So who exactly do you make lunch for?" Adele asked, glancing out the window at the beautiful scenery. "Sam, and all of the guys. You met a lot of them last night. I think there's about eight of them, maybe a couple more. They don't all come at the same time. I'm kind of like their mom." It was her turn to roll her eyes now. "They don't really have any other women in their lives that they're very close to. As long as they keep my kitchen stocked, I don't mind cooking." Emily explained and Adele nodded. She still didn't understand why there weren't very many women flocking these boys.

"Do you like cooking?" Emily asked her and Adele assured her that she did. She used to cook all the time, but lately she hadn't had the appetite to eat much.

"I don't cook for them all the time. Most of the time I just leave bread and sandwich meat out so they can do it themselves." She smirked at Adele, who seemed to understand this method better. "But, sometimes I get bored and I know they appreciate it when I cook. Then I can hold it over them." She winked and Adele laughed.

The Jeep pulled up to what Adele assumed was Sam and Emily's home. It was adorable. They seemed to have their own little log cabin in the woods. It wasn't a big home, but it definitely wasn't small. Adele and Emily walked towards the front door as Emily reminded her that mainly only men came over and that it wasn't exactly the cleanest inside. Adele offered to help clean once in a while. Cleaning was a calming routine for her. After Adele's father died, her apartment was cleaned about twenty times in one week.

They walked inside and Emily gave her a tour of the house. There were three bedrooms and a huge living room with an equally huge kitchen.

"It's great, Emily." Adele gushed as they sat down at the kitchen table. It was hard to believe that only three days ago, she was in Portland debating on even coming to La Push. She would still be stuck in a rut and probably not wanting to change it.

"Thanks. It's pretty cozy. So, Adele, do you have a boyfriend back in Portland?" Emily asked, raising her eyebrows. Adele almost choked on the glass of water that Emily had gotten her.

"No I do not." She took a deep breath and looked up to see Emily giggling. "Did you see anyone last night you were interested in?" Emily seemed to be looking for a specific answer and Adele wasn't sure what to tell her.

"Um... no, not really." Adele figured being vague would be the best way to go about this conversation. Emily sighed dramatically and squeezed Adele's hand. "Come on Adele, I won't tell anyone I promise. Not even Sam." She looked like she was about to start begging and Adele hesitated.

"Aha! There is someone! Is it Seth? You two were getting pretty cozy last night.." Emily gasped, her hand going to her mouth in excitement. "Holy moley Emily, relax. No, nothing happened with Seth. He's very cool, but I'm not attracted to him like that. I'm not even really looking for a boyfriend right now." Adele laughed at the look of dissapointment on Emily's face.

"Well then why did you hesitate when I asked?" Emily's question seemed to reignite her excitement again. Adele was speechless. Why had she hesitated? Maybe because Paul's eyes, whoever Paul was, had captivated her all of last night and she happened to still have been thinking of them when she woke up that morning.

"I don't know, I was just thinking about the question." Crisis averted. Emily seemed dissapointed, but then shrugged her shoulders and Adele could tell that the subject was dropped. Suddenly a thought jumped to the front of her mind.

"Did Seth say something last night? Is that why you're asking?" Panic began to bubble in her chest. Seth was a nice guy, really nice, but she just wasn't looking for a relationship right now. He couldn't possibly like her already. Adele's eyes were wide as she stared at the table, her thoughts moving too fast for her to fully comprehend.

"No! No, he didn't say anything. I was just curious." Adele looked up to see Emily, mirroring her shocked expression. "Are you okay, Adele? Would it be that bad if Seth liked you?" Emily couldn't understand why Adele would be so standoffish to the idea of Seth. He was a sweet guy.

"I'm sorry Emily, I really didn't mean it like that." Adele stuttered, trying to think about how to explain her situation to her. "I like Seth a lot, but I'm not really looking for a boyfriend right now. I guess I'm just looking for some friends and that's it. I don't need any drama in my life." Adele tried to say this as calmly as possible. She watched as Emily nodded slightly, still looking at her as if she might explode.

"Well, lets start making lunch. I thought we'd make some pasta to keep it pretty simple today. I don't want to overrun you in the kitchen quite yet," Emily said. Adele smiled at her tentatively, hoping that her friend didn't think she was insane.

Adele pulled out all the plates and set them on the table as Emily started heating up some water on the stove. The two girls put together a delicious meal within thirty minutes, giggling the whole time. As Emily put the last dish in the middle of the table, she wiped her brow jokingly. "We sure are efficient together when put to work!" They high fived and then moved to the living room to relax until everyone else got there. Adele was amazed at how different her personality was in La Push. When she had been in Portland, she was closed off and only really talked to Sierra who had to force her to talk in the beginning. Once she arrived in La Push it was like she was a natural at making friends. She wasn't sure why her personality was doing a 180, but she wasn't complaining.

"I didn't want a boyfriend before I met Sam." Emily said after a couple comfortable moments of silence. Adele's eyes snapped up to hers, silently wondering why she had brought that up again. "I was just home for Christmas break from college. Me and my mom were visiting my aunt and two cousins." Emily sighed and Adele noticed that sad look on her face again. "Sam was dating my cousin Leah when we met. What we have... it was instantaneous. Sam just knew I was for him." Adele frowned not understanding what she was saying. Emily was married to her cousin's ex-boyfriend?

"It sounds bad, I know. I didn't want to date him for a while. He broke up with Leah and immediately started pursuing me. Of course I tried to make him leave me alone, mostly for Leah. It was heartbreaking for her. I still feel horrible. We used to be so close. Anyways, he wouldn't give up on me. I finally gave in to one date and after that I just knew." Adele was unable to respond back for a while, intaking all the new information that Emily had just given her. That explained the rumors Emily had mentioned.

"I didn't meet Leah last night. She wasn't there?" Adele was confused. Sam and Emily must have gotten married at least a year ago, wouldn't that mean that the dispute between Leah and Emily must already be over by now?

"She didn't come. Leah hasn't ever really forgiven me or Sam. They were pretty serious." Emily looked like she was still having some internal battles over whether she did the right thing by marrying Sam. Adele couldn't imagine Sam and Emily not together after seeing them the night before. Even when Emily was five feet away from Sam, he still glanced over at her every couple of seconds. She was like the center of his universe and it was written all over his face.

"Well, Emily, you're happy with Sam right?" Adele couldn't ever imagine the answer would be no.

"Of course I am. He's the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me." Emily answered her without hesitation, looking at her strangely. Adele grinned at her, trying not to laugh at the look she was getting.

"Well I'm just trying to show you that maybe it was worth a little heartache. I'm sure your cousin is bound to forgive you at some point. She'll find love and marry too and she'll see Sam wasn't the one for her." Adele paused after her little speech. She didn't know she had the advice within her to give. Emily was smiling gently at her, nodding her head.

"You're right. I just wish she would hurry up and find that someone. The boys always tell me how bitter she is." Emily sighed, leaning back into the chair.

"She's friends with Sam's friends?" Adele wasn't sure why she was being so nosy, she usually didn't care about anything that happened outside of her apartment.

"Um..." Emily hesitated, her brow furrowing. Adele was confused as to why this was a difficult question. "Well, they're not exactly friends... but she's around a lot. I mean this isn't exactly a big town." Emily smiled softly, relaxing her posture. "She's Seth's sister after all and we're all fond of Seth." Seth and Emily were cousins? "This _is_ a small reservation," Adele laughed.

Suddenly a weird sensation struck Adele- was the ground shaking? Emily rolled her eyes, standing from the chair as Adele looked around in alarm. "Those silly boys are arriving. Get ready to be surrounded." Adele was about to give her a saucy retort when the door banged open and a bunch of shirtless men stampeded in. She watched as Emily slipped back into the kitchen. Why was everyone half naked?

"Hello there pale-face." Seth hopped in front of her, startling Adele out of her trance. She saw Sam, behind Seth, give her a wave before heading towards the kitchen. He was probably in a rush to see his lovely wife.

"Hello there... boy without a shirt." Her saucy remarks had left her as soon as the troop of eight-packs entered the house. Seth laughed loudly, and slapped his stomach. "Am I making you speechless again? Gosh, I need to stop doing that before you hurt yourself." He winked at her and she pinched his bicep before heading towards the kitchen. She tried to ignore the fact that his skin barely moved and that it was still burning hot.

Adele stumbled into the kitchen with Seth hot on her heels. He grabbed her arm, steadying her, and she felt him squeeze her skin. She winced and looked at him with a confused face and she saw him frowning at her. Adele felt embarrassed suddenly. She hadn't gotten that skinny, had she? "Watch where you're going, pale-face." Seth smiled at her suddenly, easing the slight tension and Adele rolled her eyes. She was glad he had let whatever he was thinking about go. She rubbed her arm self-consciously as she watched some of the boys stuffing their faces with food.

The kitchen was full of people. Adele couldn't believe how busy everything got so quickly. How did Emily do this on an everyday basis? Adele looked over at Emily who was talking to Sam. Their hands were entwined and they seemed to be having their own little conversation, which seemed impossible to Adele given all the loud people in the room. Adele wasn't really sure what to do now, she wasn't that hungry but she didn't want to stand awkwardly by the wall.

As she moved to sit down, two more guys walked in the room. Adele's hand went straight to her braid, twisting on the end of it. Nervous habit- check. Two more eight-packs- check. Beautiful brown eyes that she couldn't get out of her head if she tried- check. Paul was here. Internally Adele wanted to slap her forehead. She didn't even know Paul and she was already announcing his presence as if he were a king. She needed to get a grip. He was just another man.... with nice eyes.

She decided to avoid eye contact and sat down quickly next to Seth. When she would hang out with Sierra if something weird happened, both of them would blurt out "Awkward!" at the same time. Right now felt like one of those times. Unfortunately, that would be even more awkward if she blurted out the word awkward in front of ten unknown people. Her mind was going haywire.

"Adelaide- this is Collin and Paul. I don't think you met them last night." Sam announced and Adelaide tensed, eyes widening. Taking a deep breath, Adele turned around in her seat and smiled at the two men behind her. Collin was already loading food onto his plate as if this were his last meal. Paul was staring at her. _Awkward_.

"It's nice to meet you two." She was not going to be awkward. She was going to pretend to be normal. Collin waved at her with a tight smile. His mouth was full and looked as if it were about to burst. She giggled and with a last look at Paul, she turned back around. Why did he keep staring at her like he was mad at her? She didn't even know him.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Seth asked. Adele swallowed the urge to laugh at him. There was spaghetti sauce all over his face. "Maybe later.. I ate a little before I came over. You have something right there.." She pointed at him and Seth pretended to look confused. "What? I have what?" Adele shook her head, rolling her eyes. "Come on Adele, what do I have on my face?"

"Nothing. There's nothing on your face, Seth. Just your obnoxious smile." She smiled cheekily at him and Seth lunged for her. Rubbing his sauce covered cheek on her arm. Adele shrieked, laughing and tried to pull her arm away. "You gross man! Let me go!" Seth laughed and let her go, satisfied with the sauce all over her arm.

A door slammed and Adele turned around to see Emily looking a little worried. Sam pulled away from her and walked out of the room. Emily shrugged at Adele's questioning look and Adele stood from the table.

"I'm going to wash my arm off, you animals." All the boys at the table snickered and Adele paused, watching them, before deciding to let it go. She headed down the hall towards the front door and then took a right into the bathroom. Luckily her sleeves had been pushed up or else Seth would have stained her shirt. As she was drying her arms, she heard a weird noise from outside. Adele hung the hand towel back up and tip-toed to the small window in the bathroom. She pushed back the curtains and saw Sam talking to Paul outside. It seemed almost like they were fighting- Paul looked all riled up, but Sam seemed to be trying to calm him down.

Adele fell silent, trying to see if she could hear what they were saying.

"He knows how I feel!" Paul was almost growling, but his words were loud enough that Adele could hear them. She wondered who he was talking about. _Why were they all still shirtless?_ She would come back to that question later. Sam was talking again in a low voice and Adele couldn't understand what he was saying. Whatever he said it seemed to be working. Paul's hands weren't clenched as tightly and he seemed less tense. Adele bit her lip as she watched the two of them. The only thing she could think of was that Paul was damn sexy when he was angry.

* * *

**A Lesson Before Dying**


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks to all of those who are reading this. :)

**Chapter Six**

"Bad thoughts, Adele, bad thoughts.." Adele whispered to herself, still peeking out the window. She did not need to develop a crush on anyone anytime soon. Suddenly, as though Paul could hear her, his eyes jolted to meet hers. Frightened, Adele leaped back from the window, tripping on the rug and landing right on her butt. She groaned and just let herself fall completely onto her back. She was mortified. He had totally seen her watching them. Why did she have to be so nosy all of a sudden?

As if matters couldn't get any worse, someone started knocking on the door. Adele rubbed her head and stood, making silent faces of agony. Her butt was going to be one big bruise tomorrow.

"One second," she said, glancing in the mirror to make sure she looked okay. When she opened the door, Adele was surprised to see Paul on the other side of it.

"Oh! Um.. sorry." Her face was turning redder by the second and she made a quick move to go past him, but his left arm shot out and blocked her. Yeah, he had definitely seen her in the window. She began to chew on her lip and lifted her eyes to look at his face. She couldn't help but think he'd be angry. He was angry even before he'd caught her spying on him. When she made eye contact with him, he looked anything but. He almost looked amused.

"What?" She asked, a bit perturbed by the sight in front of her. He was cornering her and she wasn't sure how to react in this situation. He'd never even said a word to her and now she was blocked. The only way she could go was back into the bathroom of shame. "Were you spying on me?" Adele nearly gasped as his voice penetrated her ears. He was almost smiling at her, but not quite. It was more of a smirk and his face was dangerously close to hers.

"Well, um.. no. I just happened to look out the window because I heard a weird noise... and there you were and somehow you saw me right at that moment..." Adele stumbled over her words, hoping he would believe her. She knew she wasn't a very good liar, but hopefully he wouldn't know that. Paul was looking doubtful over her explanation and Adele internally cursed her lack of lying ability. While ranting at herself, Adele's eyes swept over Paul's face- his chiseled jaw, straight nose, and of course, his eyes. He must have a girlfriend. The thought of this stirred a strange feeling in Adele's stomach. She frowned as she wondered why she was feeling like this.

"Well, I think you _were_ spying on me." Paul finally announced, eyes narrowing slightly. Adele licked her lips, nervously, and right on cue her hand went straight back to her braid. She'd had this habit since she was a child. If she had her hand in her hair for more than one or two seconds at a time- she was anxious.

"Well, I already I told you I wasn't. So..." Adele trailed off, glancing at his muscular arm that was keeping her from moving away. "Am I making you nervous?" Paul asked and Adele had almost had it with his questions. "No, I'm fine. If you could please move your arm, I will be going back to the kitchen now." Adele tried to look confident, but wasn't sure if it was working. Paul eyes narrowed even more, staring her down. "Why? You want to get back to Seth?" He asked, his tone getting deeper and making her shiver. Paul's eyes shifted to hers immediately and then he smirked. He knew what kind of effect he was having on her.

"Maybe. I don't think that has anything to do with you." Her brain was overruling her body, finally. No matter how good looking, or how nice his voice was, Adele wasn't going to back down to this.. brute. His other arm shot out and now his whole body was blocking her. His face was directly in front of her and she had had enough. Sure he was incredibly good looking and her body thoroughly wanted him to touch her, but she was not going to allow him to treat her like his own toy.

Adele raised a brow at him, glancing at his arms that were braced against the wall behind her. She sighed loudly, folding her arms across her chest. "Move." She ordered in a clipped tone. He smiled wolfishly at her and she resisted the urge to melt at his feet. "Please. Move." She stated again, tired of his antics. Emily was probably wondering if she had died in the bathroom.

"Why?" Paul asked. Adele could feel his breath ghosting across her cheek. Goosebumps rose on her arms and she prayed he wouldn't notice.

"I don't know you, and I want to go back to the kitchen." She looked him in the eye and he stared back. Adele realized he was completely focused on her face, for some reason. She took this opportunity to duck under his left arm and sprint into the living room. She heard him growl and could hear his footsteps behind her. Only slightly panicking, Adele ran the last couple of steps to the kitchen. She took a deep breath and stepped into the room where everyone was still gathered.

"Are you okay, Adele? You look a little rosy." Emily looked at her worried, keeping her voice down as she spoke. Adele felt Emily's hand on her forehead as she determined that Adele didn't have a fever.

"I'm alright, Emily. I think I should probably go home soon, though." Adele said, trying to act normal. She was tired, but that wasn't the complete reason she wanted to leave. What had just happened?

"I'll take you home." Adele spun around to see Paul standing in the doorway. He was holding a pair of keys in his hand and dang it- he was still shirtless. How did she not notice that when he was practically on top of her a moment before? Adele barely noticed Emily thanking Paul for offering and then sitting down by Sam. She wanted to scream at Emily that it was very not okay of him to take her home! But how would Emily know that Paul was a psycho. Sam probably didn't let him near her alone.

Adele's heart was beating so fast it felt like it was going to pop out of her chest. She waved goodbye to everyone in the kitchen and then was steered out by Paul. She could feel his hands on her shoulders. His heat was searing her skin, creating even more goosebumps. She felt like everything was in overdrive. Her brain couldn't even compute what was happening. Was she having a panic attack? Adele took a deep breath and watched everything come back into focus. She just needed a moment to calm down.

Paul stopped behind her and she could tell his hands were feeling the outlines of her shoulders. Finally he gave her a little push and they were walking again. His hands dropped to his sides and Adele could breathe better now. Her heart slowed down to a normal pace as she regulated her breathing.

As they stepped outside, Paul pointed to a Ford truck parked next to Emily's jeep. They walked to it, silently, and got in. Paul seemed much calmer now. Adele glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and realized he looked worried.

"You're staying at the Adams' house, right?" He asked and she nodded, not bothering to speak. He started up the truck and they were on their way. Adele was glad that the drive was so short, she would not have enjoyed a drawn out silent ride.

"I'm sorry." Adele jerked her head towards Paul, who was staring at her again. "What?" She asked. Adele found it hard to believe that he was sorry- he had looked so sure of himself when he had her trapped.

"I'm not very good with girls... especially..." He stopped talking and focused back on the road. He had officially piqued her interest. "Especially what?" She asked, wondering if he was trying to cover up an insult.

"Nothing.." He sighed, fingers tense on the steering wheel. Adele didn't want to make him mad, so she fell quiet again. He turned off the main road onto her little secluded street and Adele felt safe again. This was her territory- well not specifically, but it was her house for a couple months. Paul parked the car and she flung her seatbelt off and pushed open the door. She was in the middle of quickly thanking him when he cut the engine and opened his own door. This wasn't good.

"You don't have to walk me in. I'm good." She feebly tried to get him back in the truck but he just moved towards the house.

"You're living here by yourself? All summer?" He was looking at her like an insane person and she felt a little bit offended. "Yes. I am. Is that an issue?" She asked as she pulled her key from her pocket.

"La Push isn't exactly a town full of criminals, but there's no safety in a girl living alone." Paul said. Yesterday, Adele would have asked him to keep her safe. Today, however, Adele just wanted him to leave.

"I'm plenty safe. I'm secluded and happy." She opened the door, stepped inside and turned around to say goodbye. Paul was standing right in front of her, wearing a look that made it obvious he wanted to come inside. "Can I at least make sure your house isn't going to explode or fall down? No one has been here in a while..." Adele wanted to tell him to go away, but decided he wasn't going to take that as answer. In response to his question, Adele rolled her eyes and opened the door a little wider.

Paul did what he said he was going to do and meandered around the house. Adele grabbed a bottle of water and sat on the couch, her feet on the coffee table in front of her. She didn't realize she had fallen asleep until she felt the couch sink down. She toppled over, blinking rapidly, trying to gain her awareness back. Suddenly she felt heat under her fingertips- Paul's heat. She looked up into his eyes and then threw herself back to the other side of the couch. She had been on his chest. Adele's mind was pulsing with the knowledge of what his chest felt like under her hands.

"What are you doing?" She asked, finally getting a hold of herself. He was grinning at her and she felt annoyed, even though for a moment she had felt like she was in heaven.

"Sitting. Is that a crime?" He teased and she tried to hold back the smile that wanted so badly to break loose.

"What is it with you Quileute boys and that attitude?" She asked, thinking of how Seth had the exact same humor. She looked over and saw his face darken a bit. Should she not have said that? "I'm not like all the rest." His voice was low and he looked at her with that smirk back on his face. She braced herself for psycho Paul, shoving her hands out in front of herself. "Do not touch me or invade my personal space _please_." She felt ridiculous, sitting with her knees tucked under her chin and her arms stretched out to protect herself.

Paul must have thought she looked ridiculous too because he started laughing.

"You know, I don't really like you." She said, uncurling from the ball position she was in. She was staring at him as he clutched his sides, laughing. It took him a while to calm down and by the end, Adele was getting annoyed. "I didn't let you in so you could laugh at me." He looked up at her and swallowed his laughter, putting his hands up. "You're right, I'm sorry. I'll stop laughing." Adele let out the breath she was holding in and nodded. "Thank you." She almost felt like pouting. She could tell he was still holding in laughter.

"Well, since you're done inspecting my house. You can leave now." She gestured to the door and Paul just grinned at her. "Why should I leave? We're just getting to know each other." He batted his eyes at her and she groaned. "Why is this happening?" She whispered to herself and she heard another bark of laughter from Paul.

They sat in silence for a while after Paul got over his laughing fits. Strangely it wasn't uncomfortable, just a little weird. Adele wasn't used to sharing space with a man her age, especially in silence.

"Do you like dogs?" Paul asked suddenly, breaking the spell between them. Adele quirked an eyebrow at him and he shrugged innocently. "I guess. I've always wanted one. I had one as a kid, but she got hit by a car... I was traumatized and my dad didn't want to see me like that again I guess." Adele felt a bubble rise in her throat when she mentioned her dad. The empty feeling was starting to feel heavier.

"Why do you ask?" She said quickly, willing the heaviness to go away at least for a little while. "I don't know. Just wondering I guess. I like dogs too." Paul was watching her carefully and Adele blushed under his gaze. Who was this man she'd let into her house?

"Why aren't you wearing a shirt?" She blurted out and his eyes widened as he glanced down at his chest and then back at her.

"Why? Don't you like it?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her and Adele tossed a pillow at him, not denying it. "Seriously why won't anyone answer my questions in this place?" Adele asked, frustrated. "Why are you so nosy?" Paul asked and Adele opened her mouth to give him a witty response, but then again she had been asking herself the same thing earlier.

"I'm usually not. There's something about La Push that makes me curious." She said honestly, leaning back into the couch. It was barely three in the afternoon and she was exhausted. She rolled her head over and looked at Paul. She was going to throw all the boundaries to the wind with this one.

"Why do you always stare at me that way?" She couldn't understand the look he kept giving her. His face was so intense that it felt like he was angry, but he didn't look mad. For the first time since Adele laid eyes on him, Paul looked unsure of himself. "Uh.. what do you mean? I don't stare at you." He was blatantly lying and they both knew it. "Whatever, you can deny it all you want." She gave him a slight smile to show she was kidding.

"Um.. no offense Paul, but I'm about to fall asleep here." Adele said after a couple moments. Paul seemed to be thinking about something pretty hard. His hands were fidgeting and his eyes were focused on the wall. When she spoke he looked over to her immediately. He opened his mouth as if he were going to say something, but then just closed it. He smiled softly and stood up from his spot on the couch.

"Of course, I'm sorry. I really don't know what I'm doing here." He ran his hand over the top of his short hair. Adele tilted her head. Did he have the hair pulling nervous habit too?

"You were checking to make sure my house wasn't going to explode?" Adele asked, smiling softly at him. He was adorable when he acted like this. Was the Paul who accosted her earlier just a facade?

"Ah... ha, no, that's not what I meant.." He was practically bouncing from foot to foot. "Are you alright?" Adele asked, trying not to laugh. He stilled his movements except for one hand that was rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I'm good. Listen- would you maybe want to do something with me.. sometime?" He winced as his words came out jumbled. Adele stared at him for a moment trying to decide if this was for real.

"Yeah.. um, okay. What did you have in mind?" She asked, feeling a little excited. Were those butterflies in her stomach?

"A surprise." He answered grinning at her. Yep, definitely butterflies.

"When?" She asked and he laughed and poked her in the center of her forehead. "You are so nosy. Relax. How about tomorrow around 6?" Adele rubbed her forehead as she nodded. His adorable smile was winning her over with every second she watched him.

"Okay, well eat and sleep and all that stuff." He looked awkward again and Adele laughed out loud. "Okay, thanks for the advice." She gave him a nudge towards the door with a big smile on her face.

As he walked outside and opened the door to his car, he turned back and gave her another smile. She almost fell to her knees. He was so handsome.

"See you tomorrow! Bright and early!" And with that he was in his truck, and driving away. Adele watched him drive away with a dazed smile on her face. Then what he said really struck her.

"Bright and _early_?" Her eyes widened. She was not a morning person!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

Adele watched the dust blow as Paul drove away. He expected her to get up at six in the morning? He was cute- but six a.m. was pushing it. Adele sighed as she walked back inside and closed the front door. Paul's concern for her safety was sweet, so she decided to lock the door for good measure. A yawn escaped her lips as she trudged back to the living room. It was only three in the afternoon but she was exhausted. All the emotional whiplash Paul had dished out was catching up to her. Since she would need to go to sleep early to get enough rest before six, she decided to skip her planned nap.

Adele picked up her discarded book from the floor and slumped back onto the couch. She was reading a mystery and it had been pretty boring so far. But, Adele was never one to not finish a book. She flipped open to the page she had left on and let the words sink in to her mind. She needed something to get her mind off of Paul. Like most old mystery stories, the beginning was slow and Adele had to push herself to get through the first couple of chapters. Her mind wandered to Paul and his shirtless chest before snapping back to the book. Finally the book's plot sprung to life and Adele was carried away in her imagination.

Adele read for a while before she started to tense in her position on the couch. The book was getting really interesting, but she had an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach as she continued to read. The way the plot was leading was making her a bit nervous. Adele hadn't had very many nightmares since she'd been in La Push, but in Portland she'd had way too many. Adele violently shut the book and tossed it on the other side of the couch. She'd read just what she'd expected. A suspiscious, fiery car crash had killed the main character's colleague. Why was it always a car crash? Adele took deep breaths, willing her mind to block out the images she really didn't want to face. She stood quickly, looking around frantically for something to take her attention. She was on the verge of a breakdown and she didn't know how she could stop it.

A dry sob erupted from deep within her and she wrapped her arms around her middle, bending over. It was too late. Adele let herself sink to the floor as the tears started to flood down her face. The flashes of her memory returned to the forefront of her mind. She knew they wouldn't ever dissapear. She had been lucky they'd stayed in the very back of her mind for so long. Curled up in a ball on the floor, Adele cried. She'd broken like this before and she knew it wasn't pretty to watch. Sierra had been with her the first time and she had been so embarassed that it just made the experience so much worse. Of course Sierra was nothing but supportive and held her hand while she fell apart. But now she was completely alone and for some reason she wished Sierra was holding her hand again.

The minutes turned into hours as Adele lost herself. All she could think of were flames and the last time she'd seen her father. The pain in her chest was so strong she felt like she might have a heart attack. Adele opened her tired eyes and realized the sun had set. Wiping her face with one hand, she realized the worst of it was over. She had blacked out for a while, so she wasn't surprised that it was around eight o'clock. Adele stumbled into the kitchen and blew her nose in a paper towel. Seeing her reflection in the kitchen window, Adele winced. Fresh tears were still appearing and streaming down her cheeks. She couldn't help but wonder if she'd feel this extreme pain and loss forever. People kept telling her it faded with time. But how could this deep of grief fade? She could ignore it, but it was still there.

Pouring herself a glass of water, Adele stared at her broken reflection. Who was she now? She didn't feel like anyone anymore. As she took a sip of water, Adele closed her eyes. The cool water soothed her throat. She swept her hair up in a loose bun and decided to climb into bed. She knew the night wouldn't be a good one. She turned all the lights off except for one in the living room. She hesitated as she glanced at the book she'd left on the couch. Adele decided to leave it behind, it wouldn't do her any more good that night anyways.

Adele walked into the bathroom and immediately began to scrub her face. Her eyes gleamed brightly with unshed tears and Adele smiled a sad smile. When she was little and she had been crying, her father would always point out how beautiful her eyes looked when she cried. Though they were usually a light blue, they turned to a dark green when she teared up. She raised a finger to her left eye and wiped a stray tear away. After drying her face, she decided just to get in bed.

The night, as she expected, was not a calm one. Sleeping didn't come easy for her and when she did sleep- she was plagued with nightmares of that day. Her screams echoed through the little house until she woke up, short of breath. Then the tears would start up again. It was a neverending cycle that she wasn't unused to. As the morning approached, her hysteria slowed. The pleading, screaming, and crying had run its course for the night. Adele finally dropped into a light sleep.

"Adele?" Adele shot forward at the raised voice. At first she thought she was having another nightmare at the urgency of the tone. She grabbed her forehead as the headache she had been avoiding finally showed up. Adele climbed out of bed, hand still pressed to her head, and walked into the living room. She could see a truck outside the house and then realized what was waiting for her outside. Paul was here. It was six in the morning. She had completely forgotten he was coming.

Feeling a little bit of panic, Adele bit her lip and shifted back and forth. Should she open the door? She was sure she looked like a disaster. But how long had Paul been waiting for her to come outside? Finally, Adele just pulled open the door and stuck her head out. It was still dark outside so she hoped he wouldn't be able to see the bags under her eyes very well.

"Paul?" She asked feebly, her voice raspy from the amount of crying she had done. He was standing with his hands shoved in his pockets of his worn, khaki shorts. A white v-neck undershirt really contrasted his dark skin in a wonderful, drool-worthy, way. As Adele glanced at his face, she knew she was in trouble. His eyes were on her face and she couldn't believe that he was somewhat interested in her.

"Adele.. I assume you're not ready for our date?" He asked, her heart nearly stopping at the sound of his voice. It was husky, probably due to the fact he'd just gotten up.

"I'm sorry. I must've forgotten... to set my alarm clock." Adele caught herself, not wanting to hurt his feelings. She really had wanted to spend time with him today, but the night before had been so... bad.

Paul nodded hesitantly and Adele wished she wasn't so bad at lying. She never wanted to hurt this confusing man.

"Can I come in? Maybe I can make you breakfast while you get ready?" He asked and Adele blinked up at him in confusion. Was she able to go out with Paul today? She hadn't even thought of what to do yet since she'd just woken up. So instead of using words, Adele merely opened the door wide so Paul could walk in. He didn't hesitate to come inside and Adele slowly shut the door. The dim glow of the lamp she'd turned on the night before was the only thing lighting the room now. It was calming, but the fact that she was only wearing shorts and a tank top was making her kind of cold. Adele suddenly looked down at what she was wearing. It was definitely not appropriate to wear when you're alone with a strange man.

Excusing herself quietly, Adele practically ran back to her room. But what should she wear? Paul hadn't even told her what they were doing yet.

"Paul?" Adele called from her room and she heard a loud noise before she suddenly saw him in her room. She blushed deeply, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What's wrong?" He asked quickly, staring intently at her. She opened her mouth to respond as she saw his eyes glance to the messed up sheets, the glass of water, and then back to her face.

"Are you alright?" He moved towards her before she could even make a sound and she felt the pad of his thumb right under her eye.

"I'm fine." She breathed, enjoying the warmth that his one finger applied to her skin. "You don't look fine. Did you get any sleep last night?" He asked. She could feel his breath on her face and instead of being creeped out, she closed her eyes and smiled at the slight warmth it gave her.

"I slept a little bit." She answered timidly, realizing he was waiting for an answer. "Um.. I just wanted to know what we're doing so I can get dressed.." Adele had never been embarassed to talk about changing clothes in front of a man. But for some reason Paul made her feel strange.

"Oh." He moved away slightly, his eyes still trained on her face. "I guess just wear jeans, um.. or shorts, with like a long sleeve or light jacket..." He looked uncomfortable and Adele tried not to smile at his awkwardness.

"Okay." They stared at each other for a moment longer before he jumped out of the trance. "Oh! Right, sorry.. you should probably change. I'm going to make you some scrambled eggs. Is that okay?" He looked at her for approval and she nodded quickly. As he left the room, she smiled. How could she resist him?

Adele grabbed some clothes and went into the bathroom. Her face was a nightmare. She couldn't believe she'd let Paul in while she looked like a zombie. Her mouth was wide open as she stared at her reflection, horrified. Her eyes were bloodshot and there were purple bags underneath them. Her lips were chapped and bright red and her hair... her hair was a bees nest. Being dramatic, Adele let out a loud groan. She pulled on her denim shorts and a dark green long-sleeved shirt. Deciding nothing could be done with her hair, Adele just pulled it into a low ponytail.

After brushing her teeth, Adele applied some light powder to her face. Hopefully it would cover the bags under her eyes and the redness of her cheeks and nose. Adele grabbed her backpack and tossed her phone, chap stick, camera, and her wallet inside. She wasn't sure where they were going, but she knew she would need those things.

Finally she pulled on her shoes and socks, and put her backpack over her shoulder. She headed into the kitchen, placing her things on the table and watching Paul cook her eggs. He looked like a natural in the kitchen, which Adele wasn't expecting at all. "So you just use Emily for the dirty work, hm?" She asked and he turned around to look at her.

"I'm not going to cook for all those guys. You should consider yourself lucky, I only cook for...myself." He smiled briefly, before turning back to the stove. Adele did consider herself lucky. She couldn't believe how lucky she was to have this man in her kitchen.

"So.. where are we going?" She asked, fiddling with her fingers as she sat at the kitchen table. "You are so nosy." Paul barked out a laugh and Adele rolled her eyes behind his back. She watched as he turned the heat off and silently put the eggs on a plate for her.

"Milk?" He asked and she nodded eagerly. The smell of the eggs made her stomach rumble as she remembered she hadn't eaten dinner the night before. She frowned at this realization. Had she really gotten so bad as to where she couldn't remember basic functions of life? She was so deep in thought that she started violently when Paul placed a glass of milk in front of her.

"You okay?" He asked, grinning at her shocked expression. "Yeah.. I just was thinking." She licked her chapped lips and took a bite. "Mmmm... make eggs for me every morning, please." She closed her eyes as she reveled in the taste.

"Okay. If you want." Adele peered at him through one eye. She couldn't tell if he was joking or not.

"Seriously. You're skin and bones. I'll cook for you whenever you'll eat." Paul said this with a smile, but Adele felt awkward at his comment. She lowered her eyes to the food, swirling her fork around nervously. She knew it was true, but it was hard to hear it out loud. Especially from someone you have a big crush on.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings.." Adele's eyes snapped to Paul's. He wore a sad expression on his face and Adele shook her head. "No, it's fine. They're not hurt. I'm just a bit embarrassed. That's all." The conversation fell silent after that and Adele could tell Paul wanted to ask her what was going on. She would have gone crazy if the positions had been reversed.

"Thank you for breakfast, Paul. That was really nice." Adele said quietly, standing from the table and taking her plate to the sink. She would have to do dishes later, there was a pile forming. "No thanks necessary. I enjoy cooking... Well, I enjoy easy cooking." Paul grinned again and Adele wasn't sure her heart was up to this outing.

"So.. are you ready to go?" Paul asked, as they stood across from each other. Adele shrugged her shoulders and nodded slightly. A smirk formed on her lips as she watched him shift back and forth. He was nervous again.

"Where are we going?" She whined suddenly, hands on her hips. She hated not knowing. Paul shook his head, staying silent and grabbed her backpack from the table. She followed him to the living room like a puppy. He gestured to the front door and she rolled her eyes, walking towards it. "Oh! Wait!" She stopped suddenly, and turned around. She tried to ignore his amused expression and jogged to her room. She grabbed the bottle of Advil that she'd forgotten about earlier. Adele hesitated, looking at the bottle next to where the Advil had been. Biting her lip, she grabbed it too and then jogged back to the living room.

They walked out the front door, locking it on the way out. Adele had to admit she was pretty nervous about this whole plan. She wasn't exactly emotionally stable. Being alone with a drop-dead-gorgeous man was for very, very emotionally stable people.

"Hop in." Paul told her as he opened her door. She smiled at him and pulled herself up into his huge truck. She watched as he tossed her backpack in the backseat, softly. He ignited the engine and turned to look at her.

"I hope you enjoy hiking."

* * *

Sorry this update has taken so long. I've had exam after exam and only time to study. But, here's a little something. Hopefully the next chapter will come faster. Drop a review if you want. :) Thanks for all the support.

PS I have not checked for spelling errors, grammatical errors, etc. So I'm sorry if there are some. I might edit it in a little while... If I stop being lazy.

-A Lesson Before Dying


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks for reading this far and for the reviews. :) Enjoy.

**Chapter Eight**

Paul was having a hard time keeping his eyes on the road due to the blonde sitting next to him. Adele had been on his mind ever since he locked eyes with her at the bonfire. He couldn't believe how fast his world had morphed into her. She was everything he ever wanted and he barely even knew her. At first he was furious that he had imprinted. But it was so hard to be angry at the thing that would hopefully make Adele his.

Paul glanced at Adele out of the corner of his eye. She was staring out the window, hands folded in her lap. He could tell she was excited for their little trip. He was even more excited. Everything had happened so fast- it was hard to believe this was happening. Paul directed his gaze back to the road. He had been momentarily embarrassed when she had called him out on staring at her the other day. Was he that obvious? He needed to stop being so transparent.

Music from a local radio station was playing softly in the background and Paul could hear her tapping her fingers to the rhythm. His senses were so heightened since he'd phased a couple years back, that he was used to hearing little movements. Paul didn't know if he should speak or just let them continue listening to the music. He wanted her to talk to him. The need to know everything about her was almost overwhelming. He was trying to keep it at bay, but it was hard. When he'd been in her room, her scent had overruled him. He had been able to touch her face. The memory of that brief minute set him a little bit at ease. He'd touched her and she hadn't recoiled or gotten angry.

This thought sent him back to the day before when he had almost molded his body to hers. She was so confused and angry then. Thankfully that had all changed. He wasn't sure how. She seemed to have faith in him and the fact that he might not be bipolar. He was embarrassed over the way he'd acted, but in his defense his instincts were so strong towards her that it was hard to stay away from her. Just being a foot away was difficult. When he had touched her face, Paul had felt a calmness fall over him. He'd never felt so at peace in his life.

Paul was brought out of his thoughts by her voice. She was singing along under her breath. Most people probably wouldn't be able to hear her. Paul looked over at her and smiled. She was still looking out the window.

"Do you like this song?" He asked suddenly, breaking their no talking spell. She immediately snapped her head towards him. Paul's smile widened when he saw her blush. She was so beautiful. He couldn't believe how imprinting had changed him. He used to make fun of Quil endlessly for imprinting. He had seen firsthand how it changed Quil and Sam and he used to hate it. He hated losing his friends to these girls who just happened to come along. Of course he loved Claire and Emily, but he'd been jealous. Sam had been one of his best friends long before Emily came along. But once she came to La Push for a short visit, their friendship was put on the backburner. Paul knew now how quick and life-altering imprinting was. He knew he should apologize for the things he'd said to them.

"I don't know. I know the words... doesn't everyone?" She asked. Her lip was caught between her teeth as she looked up at him. He gave a quiet laugh and nodded his head.

"I guess so. It's pretty old." He noticed she never said if she liked it or not.

"Well, what music do you like?" He asked. Paul watched as she lifted her hand to her hair, twisting a strand between her fingers.

"I like a lot of different genres. I'm not very picky when it comes to music..." She trailed off, looking over at him. He gave her a look, trying to get her to say more. "Um..." She let out a nervous laugh. "I really do like everything. I listen to classical when I study-" Adele laughed briefly at the look on his face. "I guess you don't like classical. Well, I really like cello and violins. But besides classical... I like mellow rock... um, I like house music. My dad's from Texas so he introduced me to country and I listen to it from time to time." Paul noticed her expression change when she talked about her father. But he decided not to push the subject.

"What's house music?" He asked, raising a brow at her. He wasn't really sure why she listened to classical music either. He always thought it was too boring. He glanced over at her again when she didn't answer right away. She had her mouth open, staring at him.

"What? Did you just notice how good looking I am?" Paul jokingly smirked at her and she nudged his shoulder with her tiny hand. She really was tiny compared to him. Her hand could probably fit inside his fist.

"I can't believe you don't know what house music is. Well, I guess I'm just musically superior to you." Paul laughed as she grinned at him. He could get used to that smile on her face. "You'll have to show me sometime." He bit the inside of his cheek to stop the stupid smile from breaking free onto his face. He was turning into such a sap.

"How far away is where we're going?" She asked. He noticed her leg had started bouncing up and down. "Are you excited? Or nervous?" He asked, gesturing at her leg.

"I haven't decided yet." She answered back cheekily. Paul shook his head, a slight smile on his face. "Well, smartass, it'll be about thirty more minutes. Which is why we started so early." He winked at her and she blushed again. He couldn't believe how hot she was, sitting in his truck, in those shorts and fitted shirt. She had let her hair down in the car and he had flinched when more of her amazing scent flooded his nose.

Paul shook his head, trying to stop thinking about how he wanted Adele in his arms. He let his mind go back to when they were standing in her room about an hour before. He had looked around and seen how messed up her bed was. Was she an insomniac? She said she hadn't slept very much. Paul remembered the way her eyes were red-rimmed and swollen. She'd been crying. How had he missed that? Probably because all he'd been focused on were her swollen red lips and how much he wanted to kiss her.

Thank goodness she wasn't Edward Cullen and couldn't hear his thoughts. She would have kicked him out so fast.

Paul wondered why she'd been crying. Did she have a boyfriend and missed him? The thought made his chest tighten in jealousy. He didn't want anyone to even look at Adele that way. He had nearly killed Seth when he saw them at the bonfire and then the next day at Sam and Emily's. Granted at first Seth didn't know he had imprinted. But the next day he had almost fought Seth in the kitchen. Thank goodness he had gotten control of that situation and went outside instead. Adele would have never agreed to go anywhere with him.

He looked over at the subject of his thoughts again and saw her eyes had closed and her breathing get slower. She was dozing. Paul had to use a lot of control to keep his right hand from drifting to her cheek. It was still tinged slightly pink from her blush earlier. Paul sighed quietly; she was so beautiful. She must've had to have a boyfriend at some point. He didn't even want to think about it. The day was looking like it was going to be a beautiful one. They had been lucky to get these two or three days of good weather. It was bound to be raining later in the day or the next. But Paul could think of a lot of things that him and Adele could do indoors as well. Just as long as he was around her, he'd be alright. He didn't even want to think about going back to work.

Paul was taking online classes at University of Washington for a business degree. He hadn't been sure if he was going to stay in La Push forever and wanted to be prepared for the future. He hadn't told very many people and tried not to think about it when around the guys. He knew they would give him a hard time about it and he didn't want anything interfering with it. Sam was the only one who knew about it besides his mom. He was working for Sam in the meantime to pay for classes and he was learning a lot. Sam had a lot of trust in him and he was glad for it.

Paul heard Adele's breathing stop momentarily and immediately came back to the present. Her face wasn't peaceful anymore and he could see her eyes shut tightly. Since they were pretty close to the hiking trail, Paul decided to wake her up. He lightly touched her shoulder and felt her jolt beneath him. Her eyes opened wide and she looked frightened before relaxing into the seat again.

"Sorry, I didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night. Are we there yet?" Her sleepy voice made Paul smile as he nodded in response.

He pulled off to the side of the road where there was a marker indicating the beginning of the trail. He hadn't hiked this way in a while, but he knew Adele would love it. Well, he hoped she would. If not, they were obviously not soul mates. Paul grimaced to himself, he knew that even if she didn't like it, he wouldn't care.

"Here we go." He said, unbuckling his seatbelt and grabbing her backpack from the backseat. He'd brought his own with some waterbottles, sandwiches, and some chips. He wasn't sure what she liked so he'd packed a small variety and hoped she wasn't picky. Paul jumped out of the truck, kicking the door shut, before heading to Adele's side. She'd barely unbuckled her seatbelt by the time he'd opened the door for her. He looked at her hopefully, and sure enough there was the blush he'd been looking for.

Adele slid out of the car slowly, obviously still tired from her mini-nap. She held her hand out for her backpack and Paul reluctantly handed it to her. If he had his way he'd carry both backpacks and maybe even her. He had a feeling if she didn't perk up pretty soon he'd be carrying her anyways. But for now he would humor her and let her hold her own things.

"So how long is this hike?" Adele asked him, warily. She was looking up at the tall trees in front of them. Paul laughed, beginning to walk towards the trail head. "Not too long. It'll probably take us three hours, there and back." He pointed to an outhouse over to the side. "If you have to go to the bathroom, you might want to go now." He bit back a chuckle as she wrinkled her nose at the old outhouse. It definitely didn't look sanitary from the outside. Adele trudged over to it, and swung open the door with her foot.

Paul turned around, facing the trail. He still couldn't believe he had imprinted. He was the fifth in the group to imprint so far. Sam had imprinted first, then Jared, Quil had imprinted next and Jacob had just imprinted a couple months prior. A couple days ago he would've been angry if someone had told him he was about to imprint. He had hated the idea of it. But once Adele walked into his eyesight, she was it. He'd had flings with girls before- nothing serious. When he had made eye contact with Adele, he'd felt more in that one look than he'd ever felt with another girl. Since that moment, she was all he could think of.

Sam had warned him that the intense urges to be near her, or with her, would fade a bit with time. However the love he was already somewhat feeling would never go away. It was a terrifying and wonderful feeling all at the same time. He'd met his soul mate.

Hearing the door slam shut once more, Paul turned back around and saw Adele behind him.

"Are we going to stand here all day or are we going to do this?" She asked with a smile. Her backpack was on her back and she was holding it in place with her tiny hands. Paul rolled his eyes and gestured towards the trail. The two of them began to walk into the forest at a slow pace. Paul wasn't in a rush and it seemed like she was content in staying in line with him.

"So, do you have a boyfriend?" Paul internally winced at his blunt question. He'd been thinking about it and it just came out. She looked surprised at his question and then let out a nervous giggle. "Um.. no. If I did, I probably wouldn't be out in the wilderness with another man." It was her turn to wink at him and it caught him off guard. Her nervous confidence was completely hypocritical, but adorable.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" She asked and he nearly choked. "No! I mean.. no. If I did, would I be out here all alone with a beautiful girl?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows at her. She smiled slightly and dropped her eyes to the ground. She was chewing on her lip again. Paul frowned as she continued to watch the ground. He'd called her beautiful, wasn't that what girls liked? He was finding Adele to be very confusing and not typical at all. He wasn't sure yet if it was good or bad.

Adele paused and flipped her backpack to her side. She pulled out a big camera before zipping her backpack up again. Paul watched as she dropped the camera strap around her neck and flipped a switch on top. She glanced up at him as he watched her with a curious expression. He wasn't big on cameras.

"What?" She asked, unable to stop her smile. He shrugged, shaking his head. Girls and weird things like cameras. What was the point? Why take a picture of nature when you can experience it instead? "Why don't you just stop and look around?" He asked and she frowned, clearly not understand his question.

"I am looking around. I'm just doing it through a viewfinder...sometimes." She said slowly, watching him, as if wondering if he understood her. "It's not as good as the real thing." Paul shrugged, sticking his hands in his pockets. He glanced up at the giant cedar trees, towering over them. "Look at the trees." He said suddenly, as he stopped walking. She stopped beside him and looked up.

"They're beautiful." She said softly, looking over at Paul.

"They're old. How old do you think they are?" Paul asked, grinning at her. She was looking up again and had a child-like air about her. She shrugged her shoulders, laughing. "I don't know, Paul. How old are they?" She raised a brow at him.

"Geez, you're not even going to guess-" At her pointed stare, he laughed. "Most of them are over 400 years old." He gestured to the trees around them. Paul knew once they got a little bit deeper into the forest, she would be surprised at the giant width that the trees grew to.

"Do you hike a lot?" Adele asked as they continued through the forest. Paul nodded in response, biting his tongue. He did a lot more than walk in the forest. Try running in wolf form pretty much everyday. He knew this forest like the back of his hand. "When you live in a small town, there's not much more to do. Hiking kind of clears my mind." Paul glanced at the small girl next to him. She was keeping up with him pretty well so far, but they hadn't been walking long. She looked so breakable and pale in the sunlight. He frowned at the purple bags still slightly visible under her eyes.

"That makes sense I guess. I've never lived in a small town." Adele said, hopping over a large tree branch in the middle of the path.

"Where do you live?" Paul asked. He realized he didn't even know where she was going to be going back to after the summer. Where did she come from? Better yet- what was she running from?

"I live in Portland right now. Well, I mean I go to school in Portland." Adele answered quietly. Paul sensed her anxiety coming back and decided not to pry into her home life anymore. His curiosity was killing him, but he couldn't upset Adele.

"Wow!" Adele gasped suddenly, making Paul tense. He looked over to where she was staring, open-mouthed. A little off the path was a small river surrounded by lush plants. Paul realized he took this forest for granted as he took in Adele's awe-struck expression.

"It's so beautiful. Is this what we came to see?" She was so excited, Paul couldn't help but feed off of it. "Nope. This isn't even close to what you'll see up ahead." She was heading towards the river and Paul's smile faltered slightly. She wasn't a super-human and therefore he knew she could hurt herself pretty easily going off the trail. But she seemed pretty set on getting closer to the water.

"Adele.. be careful. It gets slippery down there." Paul sighed, walking after her. He had a feeling she wasn't even listening to him. Her blonde hair was blowing a little in the wind and Paul groaned as the scent made its way to his nose. He wanted to bury his face in her neck and inhale that smell.

"Oops." Paul jumped forwards as Adele slipped a little bit to the side. The ground was covered in wet plants and was very easy to slip on. Paul grabbed her arm, helping her straighten up. She smiled at him brightly, continuing forward. Paul inwardly cheered at the body contact, but he wasn't sure he wanted her any closer to the river. It wasn't deep and he definitely wouldn't let her drown, but it was cold and if she fell in it would be a damper on their day.

Luckily for him, Adele sat on a rock a couple feet from the water. She turned on her camera again and took some shots of the water drifting through the trees. Paul stood back and watched as she sighed happily to herself. Adele turned around suddenly, catching him by surprise. "Smile!" She laughed and took a picture of him before he had a chance to do anything.

"Hey!" He laughed, walking up to her. "I don't really think that's fair. Let me take one of you." He held his hand out for the camera and she shook her head, grinning. "Please?" He asked, sticking out his bottom lip. She shook her head again, but it looked like she might be losing confidence.

"Paul..." She murmured, her smile falling from her face. She was looking at him strangely and Paul wasn't sure what was happening. "Paul.. can you..." She stuttered over her words, one of her hands in her hair.

"Can I what?" He whispered, leaning in closer. She looked so worried and he couldn't understand why. Their faces were so close, he could just lean in another couple of inches if he wanted to kiss her. Which he did, but he wouldn't push her.

"Um.. take my picture?" She forced a smile and handed him her camera. Paul frowned, but took the camera from her. What had she really wanted him to do? She had looked so conflicted. Did she want him to kiss her? He wanted to so bad.

"Smile." He whispered and snapped a shot of her. When he looked at the picture he took of her, he noticed she wasn't even looking at the camera. She was looking towards the river and her hair was covering part of her face. But the part that was visible held the saddest expression he'd ever seen.

* * *

Drop a review if you like.

-A Lesson Before Dying


	9. Chapter 9

Everything from Twilight belongs to Stephanie Meyer. The plot belongs to me. :)

**Chapter Nine**

Sunlight was peeking through the trees as Adele stared into the water beside her feet. Had she really just almost asked Paul to kiss her? She'd never thought of asking anyone that. Why did Paul make her feel so different? She couldn't understand why he wanted to spend all this time with her. She wasn't special or exceptionally good looking. She was probably the saddest, most troubled girl he'd ever encountered. So why did he look at her like she was the most exciting thing he'd ever seen?

She heard him take a picture of her, but she couldn't bring herself to look at the lens. Her heart was feeling so conflicted. She wasn't sure she could handle any kind of relationship beyond basic friendship. She'd lost her father, mentor, and best friend in the past year and she wasn't sure she wanted to risk putting herself out there again. Just being around Paul was making her turn into mush. The fact that he'd been nothing but sweet and funny that whole morning was just making her more confused.

She heard Paul moving behind her and she realized she'd zoned out for a minute. She glanced in his direction and their eyes locked. She knew he was just as confused as she was by the look on his face. Adele wanted to sigh, but she didn't want Paul to get the wrong idea.

"Um.. Should we continue?" Paul asked, breaking the silence between them. He was fiddling with her camera awkwardly, which made Adele forget all of her negative thought processes. "Yes. I can't wait to see what else is in store for me." She grinned in a slightly forced manner, taking her camera back from him. She slid it back into her backpack, standing from the rock. She decided to see how the rest of the hike panned out and then she'd decide what to do. Adele wasn't unused to procrastination.

"You're in for a surprise." Paul held out his hand for her as they trudged back up to the trail. The plants seemed more slippery going uphill and Adele grabbed onto his hand for support. The warmth instantly spread through her fingers and up her arm. Goosebumps appeared and she desperately hoped he wasn't paying attention. The fact that he smirked a little bit gave her an idea that he did, indeed, take notice.

"Thanks," she murmured once they made it to the trail. He shrugged his shoulders and they continued their way down the trail. All of the green surrounding them made Adele feel like they were in another world. She continued to glance at Paul when she hoped he wasn't paying attention. He looked so good in just a plain white t-shirt and shorts. She couldn't help noticing his muscular biceps that seemed to flex every time he moved his arms. Adele never really thought of herself as a 'muscles' kind of girl. However, on Paul... she was definitely a muscles girl. She didn't have to look closely to see that his chest and abs were defined nicely.

Plus, she'd already seen him with his shirt off.

She'd been somewhat surprised when he'd answered so quickly to her question regarding his relationship status. He seemed like he'd be a player at first. Now she wasn't so sure exactly what kind of guy Paul was. This was another reason she didn't want to give her heart away so quickly. She'd been tricked by guys in the past and had learned to be wary, even around the nicest of guys.

"So, what do you do for fun in Portland?" Adele realized she'd been staring at Paul when he spoke and blushed instantly.

"Um.. fun? I don't know. I study a lot. I guess I hang out with friends.. I watch movies." Adele frowned at her bland answer. She knew she sounded boring, but she didn't do anything crazy.

"That's it? You don't go to college parties? Or bars? Or clubs?" Paul asked and Adele's frown deepened. She was boring.

"Not really.. I went to a couple freshman and sophomore year of college. But only because my friends made me." She smiled slightly at the thought of Sierra back in Portland. "But this year, I had to focus on other things.. like school." She decided to leave out her father's death for obvious reasons.

"Hmm... You're an interesting girl, Adele... I don't even know your last name." Paul sighed dramatically and Sierra found herself giggling at his antics.

"Interesting? You're too kind. Boring would be the correct term. My last name is Bristol. Yours?" She tried to ignore the way Paul was staring at her.

"Boring? You're the most interesting girl I've ever met. It's cool that you're not the typical college kid." Paul sighed, before continuing. "Paul Gray. Your name is much more original." Adelaide laughed before responding.

"I would rather have a normal name than one that's original." She pushed her hair off of her shoulders, feeling so at ease next to Paul. Her eyes drifted back to his profile again, remembering how his warm skin had felt under her fingers. He had a smile on his face and her eyes were drawn to his blindingly white teeth.

"So Paul. What exactly do you do around here?" Adele asked softly, feeling a little bit of burn in her legs. They were heading slightly uphill and Adele could see that it was going to get a bit steeper as they continued. She hoped her legs could handle the hike- she'd be paying for it the next day.

"What do I do.. well, I obviously hang out with that big bunch of idiots a lot. We're all pretty close. I work with Sam at the mechanics shop. I do a lot of the financial stuff." Paul stuttered slightly and Adele looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He looked nervous.

"Do you go to college?" She asked, prodding him to continue. She wanted to know about this strange man who had captured her full attention so easily.

"Um.. not really. I've taken some classes..." Paul ran his hands over his head. It seemed as if he didn't want to talk about it. Adele decided to move to a different subject.

They spoke for a while as they walked. Well, Paul walked. Adele trudged a little bit behind him, inwardly begging her legs to continue working. They'd hit the incline part of the hike and Adele had to stop every couple of minutes to catch her breath. Paul didn't seem to be having any trouble. Adele tried to console herself by thinking that he hiked often, but it wasn't working very much. If there was ever a time where she'd wished she was in really good physical shape it was then. However, Paul was very patient with her. He was often the one who offered for them to stop for a minute and she wouldn't refuse.

"I'm sorry I keep slowing you down." She murmured, glancing at him during another short break. She took a swig of a water bottle that Paul had handed her. It tasted so good on her dry throat.

"It's no problem, Adele. Stop apologizing. I'm having fun." Paul grinned at her wholeheartedly and Adele couldn't help but smile back. His happiness was so addicting.

"So do you normally bring random girls on hikes with you?" Adele asked, with a short laugh. She hadn't intended for the question to come off as rude, but the way his face darkened made her worried he'd taken it the wrong way.

"I didn't mean it-" Suddenly Paul's face was right in front of hers and her talking function stopped working.

"Adele, I like you a lot. I don't understand why you act like that's so hard to understand. You're not just some random girl." Adele watched, wide-eyed, as Paul took a deep breath, seemingly to calm himself down.

"It's just... no, I don't normally bring girls into the forest with me. I usually come alone, or I'm with the guys." Paul's eyes were all Adele could look at, with his face only a couple inches from hers. They were darkened with frustration. Adele's hands fidgeted nervously. She wasn't sure what to say to him. She really hadn't meant it like that at all, even though she didn't really understand why he would choose to hang out with her.

"Sorry," She breathed out. He backed away from her, turning his back to her and continued to walk forward. She took this to mean their little break was over. She sighed softly, pulling on her backpack straps. Why did she mess everything up?

They walked in silence a little bit longer before the ground started to even out again. Adele let out a breath of relief as the burning in her calves died down a bit. She was so tired and hungry, but she was too shy to say anything to Paul. She didn't want to make him more upset or angry, so she was determined to let him guide the conversations.

"We're almost there," Paul said quietly. Adele almost hadn't heard him. She was glad they were close to the destination because she had a feeling that's when they would eat. Maybe she could rest her eyes for a little too. She hoped Paul was walking off his feelings because she didn't know if she could deal with any more outbursts.

Five minutes later, Adele was about to ask exactly how close they were when she heard it. The sound of water was subtle but as they continued, it grew louder. The burning in her legs and stomach seemed to be forgotten as Adele's excitement grew. She glanced at Paul to see him smiling slightly.

Paul turned slightly to the left and headed off the trail, which Adele wasn't expecting. He'd looked so worried when she'd done that earlier. Without asking any questions, Adele followed after him. She watched her feet so she wouldn't fall or slip. Finally she looked up and realized she'd almost ran into Paul's back. He was standing still, staring at something and the sound of water crashing was so much louder than it was back on the trail.

Adele peered around his large body and gasped at the sight before her. There was a large pool of water in the middle of lush green plants and grass. Feeding into the pool was a beautiful waterfall. It was probably fifteen feet high and Adele just wanted to run into it. At that thought, she wiped sweat off her brow. The hike had taken a lot out of her and she couldn't wait to stick her feet in the water. It looked like the pool was the mouth of the small river she'd taken pictures of earlier.

"Do you like it?" Paul's deep voice brought her out of her reverie. Adele couldn't voice how much she liked it, so instead she just nodded her head quickly. Paul laughed and Adele's cheeks turned pink. "Can I stick my feet in?" She asked, looking up at him hopefully. She didn't know why she was asking his permission, she could do whatever she wanted.

"How about we eat and then get closer." Paul pointed to a large rock that seemed just big enough for them to sit on. Adele shrugged and headed towards it. As they sat, Paul pulled some food out from his backpack. Adele had never been so excited for sandwiches and water.

They didn't talk much as they ate. Adele stared out at the water, wishing she could just absorb it all into her body. She wished she could tell someone how beautiful it was, but she realized there wasn't anyone to really tell. Sierra wasn't too big on nature. Adele tried not to think of how she would normally go home and tell her dad all about this.

"Thank you for the sandwich. It was delicious." Adele couldn't believe how fast she'd eaten it. Paul looked at her curiously, taking a bite out of his own sandwich. She shrugged her shoulders with a small smile. "I was hungry."

"I could tell." Paul finished his sandwich off quickly and took a chug of water. Adele tried to keep herself from staring at him, but it was hard. There was a strong attraction that was pulling him to her and she didn't want to fight it.

"So you want to get closer?" Paul asked, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Adele nodded eagerly, hopping off of the rock and walking towards the water. She heard Paul close behind her and when she got close enough, she started to pull off her tennis shoes.

She stuffed her socks inside her shoes and pushed them a little bit away from the water. She didn't want them to get wet at any cost. It was so uncomfortable walking in wet shoes. As Adele began to look up a flash of white caught her eye. Paul's shirt was lying on the ground, next to his shoes. That had to mean....

Adele's head whipped around in search of the boy without a shirt. He was standing next to the water- his back to her. She let her eyes wander across his back and shoulders. His skin was so tan and he was sweating quite a bit, which made his skin glisten slightly in the sunlight. Usually Adele wouldn't find a guy sweating to be attractive. But on Paul it just made him look manly.

He turned around at that point and Adele blushed again. She wished she wasn't so bashful when it came to shirtless men... or just Paul in general.

"You coming or not?" He asked, flashing her a smile. She walked towards him as he held out his hand. She looked at it questioningly, and took it after a moment's hesitation. He gave her a big smile and she didn't understand why he was looking like he was about to laugh. Suddenly her body was jolted forward into the air. She screamed, her free hand covering her face. Then she was submerged in water. She gasped as she came up for air. She was lucky her mouth had closed when she hit the water. Her nose burned slightly from the water going up it.

Adele looked around and saw Paul a foot away from her, rubbing the water out of his eyes. She couldn't believe what had just happened. He'd thrown her into the water without giving her a moment's notice. What if she couldn't swim? She could have died!

She splashed a wave at him and kicked herself towards the little shore. She felt so scatterbrained, but mainly she felt angry.

"Aw Adele, come on. It was funny." His sweet voice plagued her hostile thoughts, but she wouldn't give in to him.

"I could have died." She spit out, not bothering to turn around.

"You wouldn't have died." She could hear the disbelief in Paul's tone. He didn't understand why she was mad. How could he not understand? She felt tears stinging her eyelids and she closed her eyes tightly, willing them to not fall. She was so tired of crying. She didn't want Paul to think she was completely crazy. She'd been paranoid about things since her father had died. She couldn't help the way she clamped up in fear about things she normally wouldn't think twice about doing.

"Adele.." She heard Paul emerge from the water. She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth so he wouldn't be able to see it start to tremble.

"Adele, I wouldn't have let you get hurt." She felt his hand on her shoulder, but she wouldn't let herself turn around. She could hear the distress in his voice and it made her feel guilty. The anger she had was drifting away. He didn't know how messed up she was, after all.

"I'm sorry. Really sorry." She shook her head, indicating he didn't have to apologize. Now she felt really bad. He was obviously beating himself up over it.

"It's okay. I just... I'm pretty paranoid now-a-days." She managed to speak without sounding like she was about to cry. His hand tightened slightly on her shoulder and she looked down at her feet. She felt him shift behind her, obviously not sure what to do or say. She couldn't blame him.

"Are you okay?" He whispered it and she took a deep breath. She knew he didn't mean it to be offensive. Even though, she couldn't help but feel broken inside. She wasn't okay. She would never be fully okay.

"No. I'm not okay." She whispered out with a small sarcastic laugh. She managed to keep the tears in her eyes from falling, but they lingered, making her eyes shine in the sunlight. Paul pulled her around to face him and she closed her eyes on instinct. She didn't want him to see her like this.

"Adele.." His voice punctured her thoughts, making her eyes open instantly. She wanted to groan. He looked over her face, taking in her trembling mouth and her tear-filled eyes. "Oh god, I am so sorry. I never thought..." He pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He was hugging her.

"I'm fine. Please, I'm fine." Adele spoke after a moment, stunned at the close contact between them. There was nothing romantic about it- just comfort. It felt so good that it made her uncomfortable. She'd received plenty of hugs in the past six months, but this felt so different.

She looked up at Paul's face as he stepped back from her. His hands were still on her shoulders. His eyes were going back and forth across her face and he looked so worried. She was humiliated. She'd thought she could handle herself with other people, but apparently not. Her eyes dropped to the ground and she stared at the green that covered the dirt.

"Listen.. I'm the one who should be apologizing. It was no big deal and I freaked out. I'm just not... very.. stable, I guess. I don't know." Adele stuttered over her words, shrugging her shoulders. Her arms wrapped around her chest.

She felt his warmth before his actual skin. His hand was under her chin, pulling it up. She didn't want to look at him, but he made it so impossible.

"Adele. I hurt you. I am the one who should be sorry. I barely know you, I shouldn't assume you'll just be okay with everything. Please forgive me." He looked even more upset than she was at this point. She was mainly just embarrassed.

"It's fine, Paul. Really. I'm just not normal." She looked up at him, hopelessly. "I'm definitely not normal. I'm not insane or anything.. I'm just.. I have demons, you know?" She wasn't sure how to explain her issues. She wasn't ready to talk about her dad. It was too much too soon.

"I don't care if you're not normal. I'm not normal either." With that, a hopeful smile appeared on Paul's face. "I definitely have my demons as well. More than you'd probably ever believe." With this said, he reached out for her hand again.

"Do you want to go swimming?" He asked and Adele felt a small weight lift off her shoulders. He was okay with her being slightly abnormal. That was enough for now. She nodded her head softly, offering her hand to him. He took it quickly and pulled her gently towards the edge of the water.

* * *

So, I probably won't be able to update for about a week. I have two exams this week and then I'm going out of state for some of Spring Break. :)

I stayed at my sister's house this past weekend to dog-sit (Her dog is basically her child). But anyways, she's an English teacher so she has books everywhere- which made it so hard to study. So, Friday night I read this book of hers called 'Shiver' by Maggie Stiefvater. I don't know if any of you have read it, but if you like the wolves bit from Twilight, which I assume you do since you're reading this... you should check it out. It's a book on "werewolves". It's a love story with some other twists. I enjoyed it, so maybe you will too. Just a suggestion if you're looking for a book you can hold in your hands instead of reading online. :)

Drop a review, please. Thanks for reading!

-A Lesson Before Dying


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The pond glimmered in the sunlight and was so transparent that it seemed like glass. Green was everywhere around them as they stopped at the edge of the pond. The scene was beautiful and calming at the same time. But Paul wasn't even paying attention to the setting. All he could think of was Adele's little hand holding on to his. He still felt horrible about what he'd done to her earlier; he'd honestly thought she'd think it was funny.

He realized that she had demons of her own and they obviously related to death. Paul wasn't sure exactly how it was related, but she'd made it somewhat clear. Adele had forgiven him so easily and he knew he didn't deserve it. She had given him her hand. Paul was in awe of the girl next to him and he barely knew anything about her.

"The water is a little cool, but I think you should be okay." Paul knew that he wouldn't be phased by the water's temperature, not everyone had a temperature of 108 degrees on a normal day.

Adele nodded in response and Paul could tell she was still a little embarrassed by her reaction earlier. He needed to make her feel more comfortable.

Paul waded in slowly, Adele's hand clasped tightly in his. He wanted her to know that he was there for her and wouldn't let her get hurt She came in slowly after him, tensing at the water's coolness. He knew if she got too cold, all he'd have to do was come closer to her. However, he wasn't sure if she'd be okay with that quite yet.

Suddenly he was startled by her high-pitched giggle beside him.

"It's cold!" She laughed and he turned to look at her face. She was smiling and her shoulders were hunched, looking as if she was trying to curl into herself.

"Are you okay?" Paul asked, looking down at her. He was pleased to see her open up so quickly again. Her prior embarrassment seemed to fade with the coldness of the water.

"Aren't you cold?"

"Nope. I'm toasty."

"Toasty? I'm freezing!"

"Want some of my heat?" Paul wiggled his eyebrows at her and she shook her head, a smile on her face and a flush across her cheeks.

"I don't need a man to warm me up." Adele gave him a look of her own, giggling afterward. Paul sighed dramatically, shaking his head. She was going to kill him.

His eyes drifted over her form as she waded a bit deeper in the water. Her blonde hair was darkened from being thrown in the water earlier. The green shirt that had hung on her loose form clung to her now and he could make out exactly how small she was. She didn't look as skin and bones as he'd thought at first. But she definitely wasn't eating enough.

Paul couldn't ignore the curves of her hips; the water was just about to cover them and he somewhat wanted to stop her from going any deeper. He couldn't believe how beautiful she was.

"Where are you going?" He asked as she waded even further into the water. A smile played on his lips as she turned to face him. He had made her happy. She was glowing.

"The waterfall?" She tilted her head as if wondering if that was okay with him. Paul nodded slowly in response, trying not to laugh at the adorable look on her face. How he was going to manage not kissing her today was beyond him.

"Are you going to join me?" She asked suddenly, holding her hand out to him. Paul wasted no time in making his way to her and grabbing her hand. Her face was flushed and he wasn't sure if it was from the fact that she was cold or if she was blushing because of him.

"Why are you boys always so warm?" Adele asked as they made their way across the little lagoon. Paul tried not to think about how she knew the other guys had warm skin.

"There are a lot of theories." Paul answered vaguely, laughing at the unsatisfied look on her face. "I wish I was always warm. I get cold so easily." Paul knew if she wanted him then she would never be cold again, but he stayed silent.

They'd made it about half-way to the waterfall when the water started to get a bit deeper. Adele was up to her shoulders, but Paul was still very much above the water. He laughed as she tried to keep her chin above the water.

"Don't laugh at me just because you're tall." Adele huffed. Paul debated just letting her swim across the deep section; he knew for a fact that it got shallower about five feet in front of them. But, then he would be passing up an opportunity to be close to her.

"I think you should just let me help." Before she could answer him, his arms swept around her midsection and pulled her to his side. Her hands immediately grasped his shoulder as he walked slowly. "I didn't need your help, you know. I can swim." She stated.

Paul could feel her eyes on the side of his face and he wanted to look at her, but he didn't want her to stop looking at him.

"I'm sure you're very capable of swimming." Paul murmured, trying to hide a smirk. Luckily she wasn't getting annoyed by his pushiness.

"Then why, may I ask, are you holding me?" Adele asked as they neared the waterfall. Paul shrugged his shoulders, staying silent. His thoughts were on how soft she was. Adele squirmed out of his grasp as they came up to the waterfall. It was loud when you got up close to it. Paul kept a tight grip on Adele's hand; he didn't want her to hurt herself.

"Are you sure you don't bring girls here? It's awfully romantic." Adele batted her eyes exaggeratedly at him and Paul barked out a laugh.

"Yes, this whole hike was just to woo you out here by the waterfall." He was somewhat being honest, but she laughed anyways. She pulled on Paul's hand and he watched as she jumped underneath it. She was under the falling water for about five seconds before she reappeared.

"Ouch. It's so heavy!" She laughed, and then pulled Paul under with her. Paul followed her, feeling the water pound on his shoulders and head. It didn't bother him too much, but she jumped out from it again.

"Come on!" He yelled out at her. He gave her hand a tug and she fell back underneath it. He pulled her back once more and the pounding water stopped.

"Wow." Adele murmured as they stared at the waterfall from behind it. There wasn't much room behind the waterfall, so Adele's back was up against Paul's chest. He didn't mind.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" He asked and he felt her nod her head. Paul thought he heard her say something, but when he asked her she shook her head.

"What?" He asked again, whipping her around in a joking manner.

"It's nothing!" She spoke loudly due to the water pounding behind them.

"Tell me!" He poked her side and she shrieked. She tried to get out of his grasp, but he held onto her easily.

"I said- You're beautiful!" She screamed it finally, gasping for breath. Paul froze momentarily. He looked down at her face, only inches from his.

"You're beautiful." He whispered, knowing she could hear him. Her eyes dropped to his chest as she blushed deeply. Paul pulled her chin up and traced the side of her face with his thumb.

"Are you trying to woo me?" She asked, smiling softly. Paul nodded and shrugged, biting the inside of his cheek.

"It's working, right?" She copied his nodding movement.

"Are we going to kiss now?" Paul's jaw nearly dropped in shock. "Do you want to?" He asked quickly, waiting on edge for her response.

When she nodded, Paul's heart beat increased ten-fold. "I really like you, Adele. I don't do this with _anyone_. I want you to know that." His voice was urgent and deep as he thought about what might be about to happen.

"I know. Okay." Adele nodded her head, and before she could say anything else Paul's lips were on hers. Paul felt her body mold into his as soon as their lips touched. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her, if possible, even closer to him. He couldn't get enough of her soft lips. One of his hands came up and wound itself into her hair, holding her face to his.

She gasped softly, making him groan. He felt like he'd been waiting forever for this moment. He'd kissed other girls before, but it was nothing like this.

After a minute, Adele pulled away slowly. Her eyes were wide, sweeping back and forth across his face.

"Um.." She bit her lip, looking worried. That was the last reaction Paul wanted after their first, amazing, kiss.

"That was.. really good." Paul whispered, his hand still in her hair. She nodded hesitantly, still watching him.

"We barely even know each other." Adele whispered back and Paul internally sighed. It was true, they barely knew each other. But he knew that she was his soul mate.

"Please don't over think this... at least right now." He begged her quietly. He didn't want her to freak out just yet. They still had the rest of the day.

"Plus, I promise you'll get to know me. I'm not too horrible. I hope." Paul continued to talk before he felt her little finger on his lips.

"Okay." She consented, with a small smile.

"Can I kiss you again?" Paul asked eagerly, barely waiting for her laugh to devour her lips again. Her arms wrapped around his neck as he held her to him.

He'd had good foresight about this particular place. It was pretty romantic.

"For some reason I really like you. Even though you're a little bit insane." Adele giggled as they pulled away for air. Paul nuzzled her cheek with his nose, not wanting to move away quite yet.

"I like you too, camera girl." She laughed loudly and he picked her up, bridal style and carried her out from under the waterfall.

"Wait! I liked it back there.." Adele whined and Paul shook his head in a mock stern manner.

"You were starting to get cold, I could feel it." She frowned for a moment and then lightened up, grinning.

"But.. you're hot so you could keep me warm?" She rose a brow at him and he shook his head, laughing.

"I thought you didn't need a man to keep you warm?" He prodded her, dropping her in the shallow end. She fell completely under water for a moment, but then surfaced, wiping the water out of her eyes.

"I don't! But I could use one if I wanted to. Obviously." She rolled her eyes, heading for the shore.

Paul followed after her, finding it hard to wipe the idiotic smile from his face. "So you're just using me now?"

"Boys are so dramatic."

Their teasing continued as they made it back to the boulder with their things on it.

"Did you bring a towel?" Adele asked, squeezing the water from her hair. Unfortunately Paul hadn't thought that far into the future. He winced slightly and she laughed. "It's okay. I'll air dry." She leaned over and shook out her hair, droplets of water flying everywhere.

"Hey! Hey! Watch it! What are you? A dog?" Paul laughed, shielding himself from the water. Adele made a face at him, standing up straight with her hands on her hips.

"I have to get the water out of my hair somehow."

"Well maybe you should do it again. It was actually kind of sexy." Paul wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively and her jaw dropped before she gave him a light shove.

"You are so full of it." She pulled her backpack over her shoulder. Paul didn't miss the light blush that covered her cheekbones. That alone was enough to keep him happy for the rest of the day.

* * *

Sorry for the wait and for the short chapter! I have another two tests coming up. It's never-ending. Hope you enjoyed this sappy little chapter. Review please.

-A Lesson Before Dying


	11. Chapter 11

Sorry that I haven't posted in a while. I've had so much schoolwork in the past couple of weeks. I have about a week break before my last round of tests and then finals.

I've had this other story idea on my mind for a while so I decided to just start writing it out and see where it goes. It's called 'Heartbreak Warfare'. It's a Twilight imprint story. It's not a Paul love story, however (even though it has to do with Paul). So anyways, check it out if you want. I'm going to always try and update A Place of Healing before it, though so hopefully the updates will be somewhat balanced.

Hope y'all are having a good end of school, or beginning of spring, whatever. I'm in Texas and we've had beautiful weather for the past week. I don't want it to ever end. :)

**Chapter 11**

Adele's heart was in overdrive. She had just made out with Paul underneath a waterfall. It doesn't get much more 'summer romance' than that. She glanced at him, putting her peripheral vision to use. He was grinning from ear to ear as they walked in silence down the trail. The silence wasn't uncomfortable as Adele would have expected it to be. It was relaxing, and almost seemed like she'd become good friends with him in the past day. Friends? Was that what they were? Friends didn't usually just make out after having a date. But he wasn't her boyfriend... was he?

Adele frowned outwardly, thinking this over. She wasn't ready for a boyfriend, or any kind of commitment. She'd come here to run away from her troubles and just be alone with herself for a while. But then Emily had pushed her way into Adele's nearly closed heart and then Paul...

"What's wrong, pale face?" Adele whipped her head around to stare at Paul who was watching her intently. He had a smile on his face, but his eyes were roaming across her face in a worried manner.

"Nothing. Just thinking 'bout some stuff." Adele muttered, tearing her eyes from his gorgeous face. Every time she looked at him she felt her breath try and rush out of her chest. It wasn't a fun feeling to relive over and over again. She felt inadequate when standing next to him.

"Want to share with the class?" He asked.

"It's nothing."

Paul wanted to stare at the woman before him and soak all of her into his memory. Sometimes he wanted to shake her a little bit, too, to get her thoughts out of her head. He wanted to know how she thought and what she thought about. But it seemed like she didn't want him in her head.

What he wouldn't give to be Edward Cullen right now. Paul shuddered at the thought, bringing himself back to the present.

A breeze blew through the trees and Adele shivered slightly. She was still damp from their short swimming adventure. She noticed Paul move a little closer in her direction and she kept her sights in front of her. She couldn't get close to him again or they might start kissing. Adele tried to hide the smile that wanted to break through at the thought of their make-out session.

"I don't understand you at all." Paul broke through the silence, yet again. Adele looked over at him with a cocked eyebrow, silently questioning his statement.

"First you're frowning like you're upset, then you try and hide a smile. What _are_ you thinking about?" Paul asked, feeling a bit exasperated.

"Kissing you." Adele stated, trying to appear nonchalant. She knew she had shocked him with her statement. He'd stopped short in his tracks, and then had to jog a couple steps to keep up with her.

"Oh yeah? And what _exactly_ were you thinking about?" Paul's voice held a smirk and Adele wouldn't give him the satisfaction of looking at him.

"I think I've answered enough of your questions."

Adele laughed as Paul let out a frustrated growl.

"You've barely answered _any_ of my questions!"

Adele shrugged in response and grinned when she saw Paul's truck in the distance. "Your car! I can finally get into some warm clothes!"

"You know I could've warmed you up the whole way back." Paul's pout was evident to Adele even though she hadn't seen his face. She giggled in response, feeling her cheeks heat up a bit from his flirting.

She skipped the rest of the way to the truck, pulled open the door and hopped in. She grinned at Paul through the window as he gave her a strange look.

"I guess our date wasn't very good since you're skipping ahead to leave me behind." Paul sighed, scrunching up his nose at her. Adele laughed, giving his arm a little shove. "I had a great time. But I want to wear warm, dry clothes." She gave him a big, cheesy smile and he chuckled, turning on the truck.

Adele opened up her backpack as Paul pulled back onto the road. She wanted to text Sierra and let her know they were going to have a long talk tonight about Paul. When she pulled out her cell phone, Adele frowned instantly. She had twenty missed calls from Sierra. _Twenty._

"Um.. Paul?" Adele tried not to panic instantly.

"Yes?" He looked over at her, immediately sensing her stress.

"You mind if I take a call real quick?" She asked, after checking if her phone had service. Paul shook his head in response and Adele immediately typed in Sierra's number. At least she knew that Sierra was still alive since she was able to call her a million times.

"Adele!" Adele relaxed slightly upon hearing Sierra's voice.

"Hey. What's up? Why do I have twenty calls from you?" Adele asked quickly, hearing how out of breath Sierra sounded.

"Sorry! I just didn't know what to do, so I panicked and I called you a lot. _She's_ here, Adele. She was hanging out outside my apartment and at first I didn't think anything of it, but she kept staring at me in a creepy way. Then you know....I realized she looked a lot like _you_, Adele." Adele's breath quickened as she realized exactly what was going on.

"Did she do anything? Say anything? Sierra, did you tell the police?" She tried to control the anxiety rolling around in her stomach.

"No, she didn't _do_ anything to me. I would've kicked her ass first. She muttered something when the security at my apartment ushered her away. I told them she was following me. But, that's it. I think she thought you'd be with me. How would she know that, though? I mean I'm sure it was her. I looked at the picture again to make sure."Sierra's voice was rushed and Adele had to struggle to understand everything she said.

"Is everything okay?" Adele jumped in her seat, whipping her head to the left. She had forgotten Paul was there, probably hearing everything Sierra was saying.

"Who was _that_? He sounded cute! Are you with a boy, Adele?" Adele sighed, listening to Sierra's now excited rant.

"Sierra, I'll call you later to talk about... what happened and other things. Just make sure you tell the police. They've been looking for her." She whispered into the phone. They exchanged a few more words before Adele finally ended the call.

"Um.. sorry about that." Adele smiled meekly. She had a lot on her mind and she didn't know where to even start.

"No problem. Are you okay?" Paul asked. They were nearly to the house and Adele didn't know if she was happy or sad. She liked Paul, a lot, and didn't really want their date to end. However, she had a lot to deal with.

"I think so. That was my friend, Sierra, from Portland. She's the one letting me borrow the house." Adele hoped this would change the subject to something not so invasive to her personal life.

"Ah. Sierra Adams?"

"That's the one."

"Think I've seen her before.. maybe once." Paul's speech was casual, but Adele could tell he was curious about what she'd said on the phone.

"You would remember her if you'd met her before." Adele said, a soft smile on her lips. Sierra had a way of making impressions on people. They were usually good, too. Even though she'd seen Sierra about a week ago, Adele missed her. Their almost sisterly bond made it hard not to. It had been weird enough getting their separate apartments the past year. They had decided to share one for their senior year. It would be nice living with someone again and not so lonely.

Adele hardly realized they were back at her house until she felt the car stop gently. She unbuckled her seatbelt and heard Paul do the same next to her.

"Hey." Adele looked up, questioningly, at Paul. His face was coming in towards hers slowly. His hand came up and she felt the pads of his fingers glide along her cheekbone. Adele's eyes fluttered closed at the contact. When they opened again, he was closer. She wanted him to kiss her more than anything. Maybe it would make everything better and she wouldn't think about all the trouble going on at home.

As his breath ghosted over her lips, Adele couldn't take it anymore. She pushed forward and smashed her lips into his. She couldn't help it, really. It was his fault for being so amazing and warm and everything she wanted. All of a sudden she had a type of man- and it was Paul. It didn't matter that she didn't even know him that well. It didn't matter that she had more issues than a sane person would. Now it was going to be hard to go without being around, or even just kissing, Paul. She didn't let this sudden realization stop her from taking advantage of Paul's shock. He hadn't moved yet, and Adele leaned closer to him. His body heat felt good through her damp clothes.

Suddenly he moved with her, his arms circling around her and pulling her in. Adele sighed, feeling all of her stress dissipate from her body. She hadn't felt this relaxed since before her father passed away.

Paul was so confused as to how this girl, who was currently kissing him, operated. What was going on in that mind of hers? She'd been visibly upset about some random phone call only five minutes earlier and now she was initiating kisses. He wasn't complaining, but he was just a bit confused.

She pulled away from him a moment later, needing some air. His eyes traveled from her rosy cheeks to her shining blue eyes.

"I don't want to ever stop." She muttered quietly, eyes dropping to her lap. Paul grinned at her confession, feeling a strange sensation in his chest.

"I don't want you to ever stop either." He said with a laugh. He pulled her into his lap, kissing her temple softly.

They sat there for a couple moments, enjoying the comfort that they gave each other. Paul knew he'd have to leave soon to do rounds with Sam, but he didn't want to leave her here alone. What if she got upset again?

"So..." Adele trailed off, glancing at her backpack on the seat next to them. "I guess I should go, now." She bit her lip, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her shorts. Paul frowned at the fresh awkwardness that hadn't been there two minutes ago.

"Yeah.. but I'll see you soon. Right?" He asked, smiling brightly at her. He didn't want her to be awkward around him any longer. She nodded her head and moved her hand to open the door. Paul grabbed her hand gently, making her look up at him.

"What's wrong?" He asked, feeling a little bit frustrated. She didn't answer him right away, visibly hesitating.

"I just.. I feel like I barely know you. But.." Paul could tell she wanted to say something else, but she was embarrassed.

"Please just tell me. I'm not going to make fun of you."

"I just feel a weird connection with you. But I don't even _know_ you. I don't know if this is normal and it kind of freaks me out." She blurted out, and Paul's eyebrows shot up in surprise. She had felt the imprint too. She just didn't know what it was.

"It's definitely not normal. But that doesn't mean it isn't real." He said quietly. "I feel it too. I know we don't know each other very well, but I'm sure we'll get to know each other and it'll feel... well.. normal." Paul knew their connection definitely wasn't normal, they had a unique bond that would never let them feel normal. It would be so much better. But he couldn't really tell her that yet.

"Okay well.. thanks for the date. I had fun." She pushed open the door, smiling at him. He could tell she still felt awkward, but hopefully she'd warm up to it in time. Paul grabbed her backpack and swung it over his shoulder. He followed her up to her door, handed her the backpack and waited until she unlocked the door and stepped inside.

"I'll call you." Paul said, leaning up against the door frame. She nodded at him, standing with one hand in her hair and the other down by her side.

Paul leaned forward and placed a kiss against her lips before she could move. He heard her gasp quietly and had to physically resist the urge to kiss her again.

"Goodbye, Adele." He grinned at her as she gave him a small wave and closed the door.

Adele leaned up against the door that she'd just closed. How did he manage to take her breath away with every kiss? Her fingers traced over her pink lips. She wanted to dance around the house and revel in the amazing feeling that he gave her.

Unfortunately she had a visitor from the past that she had to deal with. It couldn't wait any longer.

* * *

Review please. Hope you enjoyed. :)

-A Lesson Before Dying


	12. Chapter 12

Sorry that this isn't very long! I tried to get it out before my next round of finals. After that- I'm done with school! So hopefully I'll be able to update faster. Hope you enjoy. :)

**Chapter 12**

The police station in Forks, Washington wasn't what Adele expected. For some reason she'd pictured a wooden building filled with dust and men with cowboy hats. She smiled to herself, imagining she was walking into an old John Wayne movie. She could just see herself in a long dress, prancing into the station. A man with a star shaped badge that read 'Sheriff' on it would call her "darlin'" and ask her what the trouble was. Adele wished she could escape into better days when "trouble" was actually just something silly like her cat got stuck up a tree.

The Forks Police Station was anything but old and wooden. It looked new and shiny with a nice large front lawn. It was somewhat small, but Forks was a small town with even smaller crime so it made sense. Adele hopped out of her car, slamming the door behind her. She'd gotten a restless sleep the night before after talking with Sierra for almost two hours.

"_You've met a boy, Adele? How come you didn't deem this important enough to tell me? I am your best friend!" _

Sierra had demanded every detail from her brief relationship with Paul. She kept telling Adele to make the best of it and to see where it lead. Adele couldn't help but think that nothing was going to happen. He resembled a Greek God after all. Adele's thoughts wandered briefly to the thought of his shirtless chest.

After they had gotten Paul out of the way they had gotten down to the gritty things. Adele was now walking into the police station because of said things.

"Hello miss, how can we help you today?" A bored looking officer sat at the front desk.

"Hi." Adele felt awkward under the gaze of the lone officer. He looked young, maybe only a few years older than she.

"I..um.. need to speak with someone regarding a restraining order." Her words fell upon now attentive ears.

"You already have one or you need one?" He was all business now and Adele felt a little more in control of the situation. Times like these she really wished her father was around.

"I have one." She stood idly for a moment as he shuffled through some papers on the desk. He asked her name and she watched as he typed it into the older-looking computer on the desk. Eventually he stood, gestured for her to wait a moment, and left the room. She could hear talking down the short hallway as she waited.

Her mind drifted back to Paul and how she already missed him. Talking to Sierra the night before had made her realize how ridiculous the past few days had been. It had barely been a week since she arrived and she was already making out with boys under waterfalls. That really had to stop. She had decided, against Sierra's wishes, that she wouldn't kiss Paul anymore. She would just have to let him know that she wasn't ready for anything like that. If they were going to continue to hang out it would have to be as friends.

"Well. How can I help you?" A gruff voice brought Adele back to reality and she turned her gaze to an older man standing in the middle of the hallway. He looked like he must have been around forty years old. Adele smiled slightly as she regarded him. He reminded her a lot of her father. He waved his hand toward a doorway to his right and she followed him inside the room.

"My name's Charlie Swan- just call me Charlie. Who are you?" He sat down in his chair and eyed her as she sat across from him.

"My name is Adele Bristol. I'm staying in my friend's house in La Push for the summer."

"By yourself?"

"Yes sir, by myself." Adele bit her lip as she tried to relax her body. For some reason policemen made her nervous even when she hadn't done anything wrong.

"That's not safe for a young girl." Charlie stated evenly, swinging a pen around with his fingers.

"You're not the first to tell me that." Adele smiled at him, hoping to gauge a more relaxed expression from the man before her.

"Why don't you tell me your story, Adele Bristol, so I can figure out how to help you."

Adele knew this was coming but she wasn't sure how hard it was going to be to tell a complete stranger her horrific past. She took a deep breath, leaned back and stared him straight in the eye.

"My parents married very young out in California." She paused. "My father comes from a rich background. He thought that my mother loved him for who he was but it turned out it was just for money." Adele watched Charlie's emotionless face as she took another deep breath.

"Unfortunately he found out after she was already pregnant with me. Regardless they got divorced and he got full custody of me. I never met my mother until a few months ago."

"You never met your mother?" Charlie leaned forward, his elbows on the desk in front of him.

"No sir. Not until she showed up at my father's funeral four months ago." Charlie's eyes squinted a bit and Adele took that as a sign to continue.

"She was delusional. I wouldn't have known who she was except that she looks just like me.. well, the ghost of me. She kept raving about how I had ruined everything and that she and my father would still be together if it wasn't for me." Adele could feel pressure building in her lungs as she tried to fight back the memories.

"It was ridiculous and very confusing for me. I didn't know that she'd been plaguing my father for years until after he was gone." Adele looked toward the window briefly, hoping the bright light would stop the tears from filling her eyes. Four months and she still had trouble thinking back to that day.

"My father died in a car crash. They said it was an accident, but I just.. I can't help but think she had something to do with it." Adele folded her hands in her lap.

"I guess that doesn't have much to do with you. But, I have a restraining order against her and she's been appearing around my old apartment in Portland. She's following my friends and if she finds out that I'm here I don't know what I'll do. She wants money from me and she's not been subtle about it."

Charlie was nodding his head as he gazed at her, silently.

"We're going to have to do a background check on you and call the police station in Portland to verify your story." Adele nodded, knowing that this was protocol.

"I'm surprised we weren't already notified." Charlie appraised her with his eyes, as if wondering why she hadn't come to them earlier.

"I left kind of suddenly I guess. I didn't realize she would even find my apartment in Portland. I assumed she would be in California still." Charlie leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head in a casual manner.

"Well, Adele. I'll need you to fill out some information for me so we can help you. Then I want you to make sure people know where you are at all times, alright? We're going to help you the best we can, but we need you to help yourself as well." Adele nodded quickly, knowing that he was right. But how could she tell Paul or Emily her story? It wasn't the same as telling a police officer. She hadn't even gone into the gory details and plus- he was obliged to help her.

The next hour was spent by Adele filling out forms and making phone calls to Portland and California. Her story was verified and Charlie deemed her free to go.

"I want you to buy yourself some pepper spray." He had patted her back on the way out and left her with that valuable piece of advice. Adele had made sure to tell him she would get some right away as she headed out to her car.

Deciding that there was no time like the present, Adele headed to the grocery store in La Push. If anywhere in La Push would have pepper spray it would be the grocery store.

Adele was silent as she drove. Usually the radio hummed in the background but today she enjoyed the silence. Her thoughts were all askew and she needed time to sort them all out.

Adele walked into the grocery store, her hands jammed into her back pockets awkwardly. It was about one o'clock in the afternoon on a Tuesday, so there weren't too many people wandering about.

She turned down an aisle and was surprised to see pepper-spray right there for the taking. She looked around self-consciously and pulled it off the shelf quickly. Adele decided to wander around to the snacks section while she was here. She didn't want it to look like she came just for pepper-spray.

As she turned down the next aisle she heard too familiar of a voice and it made her freeze in her tracks. Luckily the owner of the voice hadn't spotted her yet. She eyed Paul as she backtracked to the aisle she had been in previously. He was wearing basketball shorts and another tight white tee.

Adele's heart was beating hard in her chest as she clasped the pepper-spray in her palm. She didn't want him to see her with it. It would bring up questions that she didn't want to talk to him, or lie to him, about.

Hearing his voice draw closer, she hastily tossed it on the nearest shelf and turned to look at some fishing lures. She rolled her eyes at herself trying to imagine talking her way out of this. She had no idea how to fish.

"Adele?" She sighed internally and turned around, trying to look surprised.

"Paul." She forced a smile, her eyes drifting over his handsome face. He was staring at her open-mouthed and she shifted her weight awkwardly. Eventually she realized he was standing next to another Quileute who was smirking at her.

She raised her brow, looking at him and Paul came back to the present.

"Adele, this is Jake. He's... uh.. he works with Sam." Adele smiled politely and shook Jake's outstretched hand.

"So you're Adele." He said knowingly, putting his large hand on Paul's equally large shoulder.

"You know me?"

"Emily and Paul can't shut up about you. You're like our new local celebrity." Jake grinned, patting Paul's shoulder. Paul huffed a bit and tossed Jake's hand off of his shoulder.

"Ah. I wasn't expecting such a warm welcome, but it's nice." Adele had a feeling she would like Jake. For some reason all the people she met here were so easy going. It was oddly refreshing from the stressful living in California and the tense school relationships in Portland.

"Well...ah.. I'll be waiting at the front." Jake clapped his hand on Paul's shoulder once more before leaving with a small wave to Adele.

"He's...anyways. What're you doing here? Fishing lures?" Paul flashed his bright whites at her. Adele had forgotten what she was standing next to and floundered for a moment to come up with a response.

"I... was just wandering. I wanted to see all that the grocery store had to offer." She sounded foolish but it was all she could come up with on such short notice.

"Hm. Well La Push has a lot to offer if you look in the right places." Adele tried to ignore the suggestive look in his eyes as he leaned up against the shelves.

"I'm sure it does." She responded, mockingly. He laughed and caught her hand as she started to walk to the next aisle away from him.

Adele felt goosebumps rise on her arms as her heart rate increased ten-fold. She turned back towards him and glanced down at their now entwined hands.

"Why are you going away? I haven't seen you in a whole day and you're already tired of me." His words were playful but he had a strange look in his eyes. Adele shrugged her shoulders, attempting to look nonchalant.

"I have to get, um, snacks."

"Oh you can come up with a better excuse than that." He let go of her hand suddenly and although his words were still light she felt as if she'd offended him somehow.

"Paul, I.. you just.." She paused trying to find the right words to say to him. "I can't do _this_ right now." The statement sounded so fake, even to herself.

"What do you mean by 'this'?" Paul asked, making quotations with his fingers. His voice was edge-y and Adele closed her eyes momentarily in order to gather her strength.

"I don't mean anything. I just- I'm not in a good place right now and I don't want to start something that I can't finish." She managed to get the words out without sounding like a total idiot.

"I don't want it to finish, Adele. Maybe you don't understand that." He was confused, like she knew he would be.

"Paul, I barely even know you and I feel this responsibility towards you that I've never felt for anyone. I don't know what to do and I just can't right now." She stepped back as he took a step forward.

"Please. Just..please." Adele stepped past him and grabbed the discarded pepper-spray.

She didn't look back. She wasn't sure what she'd see and if she saw him upset she would probably have turned around to comfort him.

Heading to the cashier and handing him the one object, Adele felt tears prickling her eyes. She felt like a robot as she paid and received her purchase.

As she reached her car she saw Paul and Jake walking out of the store. Quickly starting up her car, Adele couldn't help but look over at them. Jake's hand was back on Paul's shoulder. The only difference now was that it didn't look like he was teasing him- it looked like he was trying to comfort him.

Adele took a deep breath and let out a frustrated noise. They'd only been on one date, so why did she feel like she was dumping her long-time boyfriend?

-A Lesson Before Dying


	13. Chapter 13

I haven't forgotten this story, I swear! I know it's been forever since I've updated and I'm sorry for that. Life got kind of hectic during finals and then I had to move out of my apartment and now I'm back in summer school. But, it's summer so I won't complain...too much. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Hopefully there will be more to come soon! Drop a review!

**Chapter 13**

A couple days had passed since Adele ruined her summer. She'd managed to come to that conclusion all on her own, despite Sierra's rant on how she shouldn't have "broken up" with Paul. In her defense, she didn't really break up with him. They hadn't even been dating.

The sky was a lovely, but rare, shade of blue. She knew that it wouldn't stay blue for long. It rained almost everyday in the Olympic Peninsula. The days had been spent inside and alone. But, Adele wasn't completely insane yet. Her guitar was her salvation- an old classic Martin guitar, previously owned by her father in his hippie days. John Bristol had passed it down after she'd successfully taught herself how to read and play music. It wasn't hard for a girl who had nothing better to do during the long, hot summers in California.

Pepper-spray sat safely in her pocket as she locked the back door. Her guitar was strapped across her back along with her camera. She'd been cooped inside too long for her liking. Eager to embrace the sun for as long as she could, she planned on heading back to the cliff she'd visited the week before.

Charlie's words were floating ominously in her head. She'd been careful when she'd left the house. All the doors and windows were locked and only she had the key to get inside. The pepper-spray had been in sight, or in her pocket, since she bought it. Other than a check-up from Charlie and some random calls from Sierra, she hadn't spoken to anyone in a while.

Her phone was also in her pocket. It had service almost anywhere, so she wasn't too worried as she trudged into the dense forest.

The hike was peaceful. The birds chirping made her feel like she was in some kind of fairy tale. It was easy to forget all of the things that had been plaguing her mind for the past couple of days.

Eventually she wandered upon the cliff that had induced tears only days before. Strangely enough she didn't feel any where near crying as she gazed upon the magnificent view in front of her. She could hear waves crashing distantly and could smell the salt in the air. Gently, she lowered her guitar to the ground, laying it on the soft green moss that slightly covered the rocky cliff.

Bringing the camera to her face, she snapped a few photographs of the ocean. The breeze mussed her clean tresses and she frowned. Her hair was going to get all frizzy from the ocean air.

Adele sat indian-style on the ground, not too close to the edge. She had always been a paranoid person and that would never change. She pulled self-consciously on the bottoms of the shorts as they rose up on her thighs. Instead of her usual jean shorts, she had opted for actual hiking shorts rolled a couple times at the waist. They were more comfortable than denim, but a bit shorter as well.

Humming to herself, she placed her guitar on her lap. A smile blossomed on her face as she looked over her instrument. It had always made her feel closer to her father. After he had given it to her she had kept it in mint condition, never scratching it or harming it in any way. So every scratch that was on the thing was from the work of her father.

She played a few chords, warming up to it again. The environment was so beautiful that she felt like anything she played would lessen it's charm.

Adele had always been more of a musician than a singer. Her voice, although not terrible, wasn't ever up to par with her standards. She wasn't capable of singing high notes, or anything near high notes. In fact she had never sung in front of another person. Nor did she plan to.

Slowly her guitar playing stamina built and she was strumming mindlessly. She'd written a couple songs back in California after becoming one with her guitar. But none of them seemed right for the occasion. The journal full of poems and lyrics that she'd written sat on her bedside table and now she wished she'd brought it.

Inspiration always found her when she didn't have anything to write with.

An hour or two passed as she sat on the cliff, humming to herself. Her fingers glided over the strings of her guitar, plucking and strumming.

Eventually the dark clouds began to roll in and she knew her time was up. Adele had just started the trek back to the house when a noise startled her.

Not too far behind she had heard a loud 'snap' noise as if someone jumped on a dead tree branch. But, she had a hard time believing random hikers came out this far into the forest, especially with the rain about to fall.

Her body tense, Adele tried to remain calm. She kept her normal pace and tried to breathe normally.

Another rustle made goosebumps appear all over her arms and legs. Something was definitely behind her. She reached back slowly and pulled the pepper-spray from her pocket, fingering it delicately in her hands. The directions were pretty simple on the packaging: point and shoot. It seemed almost too easy.

Adele glanced behind her and she finally saw what was following her. Fifty feet back, slightly hid behind giant bushes, was a giant wolf. A scream rose in her throat, but she managed to only let out a gasp. It was easily the biggest wolf she'd ever seen. They weren't supposed to get that big. She was sure she'd just walked into a horror film.

"Oh shit." She breathed, not sure whether to run or drop to the fetal position. The pressure in her chest was getting intense and she felt as if her air was running out. Her feet wouldn't move even though her mind was screaming at her to _run_,_ stupid girl, run._

The wolf took a step towards her, away from the bushes. It moved slow and it's head was lowered, almost like a submissive dog. That fact didn't take away any of the terror that was inflaming her. It's sleek gray coat was different from most wolves she'd seen. Mainly they were all varying shades of light brown with areas of darker colors. The one approaching her had a very pretty coat of almost silver.

Finally her feet caught up to her head and she was running. The guitar pounded against her as she flew down the path back to the house. She heard rustling behind her and assumed she was being chased.

A quick prayer escaped her lips as she spotted the house in the distance. She was so close. But how would she get the door open without getting mauled first?

Heart pounding, Adele burst through the trees and into the backyard. In seconds she was up against the door. Pepper-spray occupied one hand and her key was wedged in the other. Somehow she managed to jam the key in the lock and open it despite her fingers shaking.

As she threw herself inside the house and slammed the door, she burst into tears. Even her day of peace and tranquility had to be ruined. She sat on the floor, her back against the door. Her guitar and camera were removed as she continued to cry tears of self-pity.

Wrapping her arms around her knees, and lowering her head, she watched her tears fall. She felt so stupid and miserable. One half of her wanted to get up and the other half never wanted to move again. Everyday she pushed herself to do things and everyday she still felt alone. Paul and Emily had aided her but now she had ruined that too.

Adele sniffled and wiped a few tears from her cheeks.

A familiar noise sounded from the front door. Someone was knocking.

Adele picked herself up from the floor and rubbed at her face. She wasn't presentable at all for company but, she was curious as to who was there. She had a feeling that someone up there must be wanting her to stop feeling sorry for herself.

With a quick glance at the mirror, Adele realized she looked like a mess. She peered out the peep hole of the front door and nearly gasped out loud at the sight of Paul and his bare abdomen.

The door opened without another second passing and Adele squinted into the sunlight. He was wearing a pair of basketball shorts and that was about it.

"Why do you never wear a shirt?" Adele spoke, ignoring the sound of her hoarse throat. It was obvious she'd been crying.

"Why were you outside in the forest by yourself?" Paul asked and Adele suddenly realized that he was angry. His face was red and his eyes were tight. She took another glance at him and watched as his fists tightened at his sides.

"How do you know where I was?" She asked bitterly, trying to keep her wandering eyes on his face.

"I saw you run out of the forest. You shouldn't do these things by yourself, Adele. You could get hurt!" His eyes blazed and she felt a bit of shame at his words.

She had, originally, thought she was being careful. Now she knew otherwise. Obviously she would need to take something that would scare off gigantic wolves if she ever wanted to walk in the forest.

"I'm fine." She murmured. Her words sounded silly even to her. However, her pride was taking quite a beating and she wasn't ready to give up just yet.

Paul let out a frustrated noise and Adele felt a fresh wave of pain roll over her. The fact that he was mad directly at her was making her feel strange. Her heart was beating painfully fast and she felt more tears welling up in her eyes. What a miserable day.

"I won't do it again." Adele said finally, trying to keep the sniffles out of her words. Her eyes lowered to the ground as she hid behind the big oak door.

She heard him sigh and she felt even more tears well up.

"Adele...don't cry. I just- you worried me." He was still frustrated.

"I'm sorry."

"Please don't go in the forest by yourself. Preferably with anyone, except for me, of course." Paul was calmer now. His voice soothed her and she no longer felt the urge to sob uncontrollably. That was generally her way of letting go of all her feelings. It was the easiest route for her to release all her pain. After an episode she usually felt calmer and a bit lighter. It wasn't healthy, but it was a habit.

"Okay I won't. Thanks for coming by." Her bottom lip began to tremble as she made to shut the door. She was humiliated and on top of all her shame, she was still horrified of the gigantic wolf that was probably still in the backyard.

"Adele!" She blinked up at the man before her, observing his tense features.

"Can I come in?" Paul asked, taking a step forward. Adele couldn't speak for a moment and merely opened the door up wider for him to come in. His muscles rippled as he walked and she felt even more humiliation wash over her. It was like she couldn't stop ogling him for even a moment.

"Why are you here?" She asked softly, still afraid of bursting into tears.

"I wanted to check on you and make sure you were okay. I haven't seen you in a while." Paul's tone of voice saddened her. His face while walking out of the grocery store still haunted her.

"Well-" She hesitated. She wanted to tell him that she was just fine, but obviously she wasn't. She found herself unable to lie to him and his big brown eyes. The way he was looking at her made Adele feel even worse.

"I'm not okay." The dam behind her eyes finally broke. She felt like a child as she cried into her hands. The clothes she wore were damp from sweat and her tennis shoes were covered in mud. Adele felt like the smallest person on earth as she stood before Paul.

It seemed like forever, but she knew it was only a moment before Paul's arms wrapped around her. She didn't know how it happened, but her thin arms also went up around his neck, pulling herself to him.

"Paul, I'm not okay." She cried into his neck. The words were repeated over and over as he responded with quiet reassurances.

They ended up sitting on the couch. Adele was situated in Paul's lap, and he cradled her like a child against his unnaturally warm chest. She was trying to calm her breathing as she took in his musky scent. His hand was rubbing up and down her back, helping her take deep breaths.

"Adele. You're going to be fine." She wanted to believe him so badly, but it seemed so far from the truth. She shook her head just barely, not responding verbally. He tightened his grip around her and murmured his statement over again. It was almost as if he was trying to persuade himself instead of her.

They stayed like that for a while. Finally, Adele fell into an unwanted, but restful sleep.

Paul couldn't help but stare at the beautiful girl in his arms. She was obviously in a lot of emotional pain. He couldn't fathom what had happened to her to make her act this way.

A couple days back Charlie Swan had made his way back to the reservation. He was a regular around the area so it wasn't anything out of the ordinary when Paul saw his cruiser at the Black's house.

As he made his way inside, he noticed that all of the pack was there. Paul hadn't expected some sort of meeting to occur. He sat down next to Jacob and shoved a muffin into his mouth as he listened to the Chief of Fork's police begin to speak. Charlie didn't know exactly what happened on the reservation with regards to most of the male population bursting into overgrown wolves. However, he knew that they took good care of their home, so he knew they were the ones to talk to when it came to Adele.

Paul wasn't given any details as to why they should keep a close watch on Adelaide Bristol. But, he knew that it had to do with everything else that had been bothering her. It also probably had to do with why she pushed him away only days before.

So, the pack kept a close eye on Adele. Mostly she stayed inside due to the bad weather that often inhabited La Push. Paul was always on the lookout for something strange, and he knew the rest of the pack was doing so as well.

He'd been in wolf-form earlier that day, trekking around the woods behind Adele's makeshift home. The senses of a wolf were things to boast of. He'd known that she was outside as soon as she'd opened the back door. Instantly he was on alert. The other members of the pack were near, but not too close. They generally let Paul handle things went it came to Adele's safety.

Paul had felt somewhat like a stalker as he followed her silently through the forest. He watched her sit upon the cliff and gaze out at the ocean. He'd wanted to tell her to sit further away from the edge, but rationally that wouldn't be a very good idea. She would accuse him of following her, and despite that being true, it wouldn't be good. When her humming filled his furry ears, he'd almost convulsed with happiness. Adele had never told him that she played the guitar, let alone sang.

It was on the way back to her home, that she'd spotted him. Paul had gotten careless as he followed along behind her. A twig was in his path and instead of stepping around it, he stepped directly on top of it, snapping it in half. Of course this noise alerted Adele to his presence.

She was terrified of him. Paul had seen people's first reactions to them, and her reaction wasn't unlike the others. Strangely enough Paul was a bit hurt by her horrified expression. Did he really look like a monster?

As she began to run from him, Paul followed slowly. He always kept her in sight, even though he tried to stay out of hers. After she made it safely inside, he transformed back into human form. Grabbing his shorts, he threw them on as quickly as possible and headed around to the front of the house. Adele had some fessing up to do. If he hadn't been following her all day, she could have been in a lot of trouble. Charlie obviously wanted them to watch out for her for a reason.

When she'd answered the door his heart almost broke. She'd been crying. He had made his soul-mate cry. His frustration with himself and her inability to keep herself safe showed through his words. He knew his anger wasn't making anything better but he couldn't seem to control himself.

Then she'd started to sniffle again and it broke him even more. She'd crumpled and he'd caught her in his arms.

Now they were on the couch and she was sleeping in his arms. It might have been romantic except that Paul knew that she was completely terrified. It seemed as if she was having some kind of emotional breakdown. Her murmurs were repetitive and full of sorrow. Paul had tried to keep her calm, but it hadn't worked too well.

He hoped that once she woke up she would feel a bit better.

Paul brought one of his hands to her face and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. She was dirty, and smelled like sweat and peaches. The left corner of his mouth raised in a small smirk as he looked over her face. She was so calm when she slept. Her mouth was open a bit and he could hear her breathing in and out.

"Please be okay." He murmured, hoisting her up so her head rested on his shoulder. Adele grunted a bit in response and pushed herself closer to him, snuggling into his warmth.

He grinned, knowing that when she woke up she'd probably turn bright red from embarrassment. He wasn't blind to the way she looked at him. If he was honest with himself he would admit that he looked at her the exact same way. The shorts that she was wearing were practically sinful. Her long, perfectly shaped, legs called out to him to be seen and appreciated.

She stirred in his arms suddenly and his eyes jerked away from her legs. Her features were drawn up in a horrified expression as he observed her face. Adele's hands pushed against his shoulders, trying to escape his hold. Paul pulled her closer as she let out a loud gasp.

"Adele," He breathed. "Adele, you're okay. I swear you're okay." He closed his eyes.

Paul's lips touched her temple and immediately the struggling ceased and Adele went limp in his arms.

-A Lesson Before Dying


	14. Chapter 14

I am so sorry for the long wait! I took a Biology class in the first session of summer school and I had a test every week, taking up all my time! Thankfully that's over now and I just have a few labs which don't take up much time at home. I tried to get this out earlier but it just wasn't happening. Hope all the Americans had a good 4th of July, and the rest of you had a good weekend! I watched my boyfriend's band play and saw some fireworks so it was a good night. (: Hope you enjoy this chapter! I apologize if there are any grammar/spelling mistakes...

Enjoy!

**Chapter Fourteen**

The sky outside was almost completely black by the time Adele stirred in Paul's arms. She'd been asleep for over three hours. Paul hadn't moved a muscle. The rest of her nap was peaceful as far as he could tell. She hadn't had another 'episode'.

Paul dozed off and on during her nap but, wasn't able to fully rest. He was too worried about what would happen when she woke up. It was way too soon to bring up the fact that he could shape-shift. He knew she was still worried over their earlier encounter due to the fact that she mumbled 'wolf' on more than one occasion in her sleep. That talk would definitely have to wait for later.

Paul leaned his head left and right, stretching out all the kinks that had settled in during her nap. One loud 'pop' made her jolt and open her eyes. He smiled sheepishly down at her, still holding her tight in his arms. Her head was resting on his shoulder and her hands were pressed up against his chest.

"Mmm...hi." The infamous blush appeared along her cheekbones. Her voice was husky from sleep and he repressed the urge to ravish her right then and there.

Paul didn't answer right away; instead he took advantage of her just woken-up state and let his eyes roam over her face. Even with red, blotchy cheeks she made his heart pound.

Eventually their eyes met and he let the side of his mouth quirk up into a small smirk. "Good evening." Paul tried to ignore how he sounded like Count Dracula enticing his prey. Inwardly he gave a sigh of relief when she snickered at his accidental impression.

He watched as she took a deep breath, finally adjusting into awake mode. "Did I ask you to stay?" Her words were timid as if she feared his response.

Paul shook his head slightly. Was it normal for people to leave after witnessing a panic attack? He wasn't sure what he would do if she wasn't his soul-mate. However, that point was moot anyways because she _was _his soul-mate, and there was no way he could leave her after that.

"You didn't have to stay." She pushed herself up, her face only a couple of inches from his. Paul hoped she didn't catch any whiffs of his breath. All of a sudden he couldn't remember why he didn't brush his teeth that morning.

"I wanted to. Plus, you fell asleep on my shoulder. You would've woken up if I'd moved you."

"Why are you so nice?" Adele asked suddenly. Her eyes cut to his.

"I'm not nice."

She shook her head slightly, glancing away towards the back door. Paul briefly wondered if she was still afraid his shape-shifting form would burst in at any moment. He would have to somehow ease her fears without releasing his secret.

"What's wrong?" He asked, breaking the brief silent spell between them. Adele's eyes were avoiding his at all costs. Paul slowly released his arms from around her body. Like a limp doll she fell back slightly, before coming back to life and pushing herself off of him. For a brief moment Paul wished that she was normal.

They could meet in a normal way, without her thinking he was mentally unstable. He would ask her out and they would go on the hike. They would kiss without being awkward and things would progress naturally from there. Unfortunately it seemed like they had just gone backwards from the kiss. She'd pushed and cut him out of her life because she was scared of something. That much was obvious.

They sat awkwardly for a moment before she coughed. With her peripherals at work, Adele glanced at Paul. He looked frustrated and she knew it was her fault. She didn't even blame him.

"I'm pretty different from other girls, hm?" She laughed stiffly, folding her hands in her lap. Paul didn't answer so she continued to talk.

"My dad died not too long ago. He was the only family I really had." Adele pushed the statement out before she could stop herself. Her vision stayed implanted on the floor beneath her. She didn't want to see a look of pity on his face.

"I haven't taken to his loss very well." Her words were coming out artlessly. "I have panic attacks sometimes. I try not to let it bother me too much, but besides my one friend in Portland... he's all I had. How can that not bother me?" The question was rhetorical, so she didn't expect an answer. She glanced up at him anyways. He had his head in his hands.

"I won't mind if you don't want to mess with me. I wouldn't want to bother with me." Although Adele wasn't sure if she'd give up on Paul if he was screwed up like her. She felt a strange urge to take care of him. Logically, she knew that he really didn't need anyone to take care of him. One look at his muscles would tell you that.

A large hand appeared in front of her and she flinched suddenly. It lowered onto her folded hands and squeezed lightly.

"I'm not giving up on you." He said softly.

"This is crazy." Adele murmured quietly. "You barely even know me. What is it that you see in me?"

The whole situation was, after all, extremely surreal. How had she managed to find this man who already cared so much for her. It couldn't be true. All of her life lessons told her that. Never trust a man unless you've seen all sides of him. She'd only known Paul for two weeks- give or take.

"It's not what I see." Paul answered. "It's what I feel.. for you." He winced apologetically at the sappy words. But there was no other way to describe what was going on. With any other girl, he wouldn't stay with her while she slept. He wouldn't watch the way her lips moved as she dreamed. He definitely wouldn't put this much effort into making her feel safe or...loved. But she wasn't just _any_ other girl.

"Obviously, I don't understand." Adele was perched on the edge of the couch. Her eyes halted, unwaveringly, on his face.

Paul sighed, running his hands over his short hair. The whole imprinting thing was so far-fetched that there was no way she would believe him right now. He would have to wait until she really loved him to explain it all. She would have to feel it _all_ before she could know technically what it was.

He almost felt physical pain at not being able to tell her that she was the one. She was his forever, no matter what happened. But, it was too soon.

Adele watched Paul as he wrestled over something in his mind. He was obviously trying to get something across to her without actually saying something. Unfortunately Adele wasn't very good at mind-reading.

She knew what he was talking about when he said he felt things for her. She felt the strangest things towards him. Emotions in her rushed when she saw him. Things she had never even dreamed of bubbled to the surface when he was around. It was subtle, but it was there. But, in Adele's mind, it still wasn't okay. She wanted something solid, something to depend on. Feelings weren't solid. They could change in a split second. What did she want?

"I want to be friends." She blurted out. Friends were good. Friends were solid and dependable. You didn't have to worry about not seeing them because they would always be there. Boyfriends were not solid or dependable. They could break you or run away.

She chanced a look in his direction and found him staring at her, open-mouthed. Suddenly she felt the blatant need to defend herself.

"I barely know you-" He tried to cut in, but she stopped him. "Seriously, I barely know you.. and you don't know me either. You just found out my dad died and that's the biggest part of my life right now. I can't be in a relationship." She held her hands to her forehead in frustration.

"Don't you feel this?" Paul's hands were gripping hers tightly, his eyes locking on hers.

"We have chemistry Paul... people have chemistry." She was floundering for an excuse for the bubbling inside of her. He could tell.

"You know it's more than that. I don't want to push you Adele. God knows you don't need anyone pushing you. But, I won't let you just shut me out again. I care about you." His frustration was apparent in the furrowed forehead and his tight lips.

"I'm not pushing you out." Adele pouted a bit, knowing he was referring to the last time she had thought she would just 'be friends' with him. That hadn't turned out well.

"I seriously just want to be friends. We can still hang out as friends, can't we?"

Paul sighed deeply, falling back into the couch. Of course he could go back to being friends with her. He would do anything for her- be anything for her. He just didn't really _want_ to.

"Yeah, we can hang out as friends." He tried to plaster a fake smile on his face, but it was hard. He wasn't really very good at doing things he didn't want to do. In fact, he was very bull-headed when it came to getting things his way. All of that changed when Adele had walked onto the La Push beach that day.

"Thank you." She breathed out a sigh of relief. Her hand jumped to his, almost instinctively. She squeezed it gently, feeling the roughness of his knuckles.

"What do we do now?" Paul asked, feeling awkward for the first time around her. He was in uncharted territory. He'd never really just been friends with a girl, except for Emily. He didn't really count Leah.

"Are you hungry?" Adele asked, her hands both tucked in her lap. She'd been actively keeping her stomach from grumbling since she woke up.

"I guess." Paul answered. He stood suddenly, sticking his hands into the pockets of his black basketball shorts.

"Why are you standing?" Adele smiled slightly, glancing up at his tall frame.

Paul held out his palm for her to grab and pulled her to her feet.

"So we can make dinner."

The two of them whipped up some grilled cheeses after a twenty minute debate on what to eat. Paul had griped about three sandwiches not being enough for him, but Adele was set on a grilled cheese. It wasn't too heavy, and not too light.

"Admit it, this is good." Adele grinned at him from across the kitchen table. Paul stuffed his mouth full in response, making her giggle out loud.

"You're kind of gross."

"You're gross."

"Nice comeback."

The smile hadn't left her face since Paul had decided to show her his 'killer sandwich-making skills'. Two sandwiches had burned before he finally got one right.

"I'm known for my witty retorts." Paul's bright white teeth gleamed at her. She tried to ignore the goosebumps on her arms from the sight of his smile.

When he left that night, he kissed her cheek and gave her a hug.

"Be careful. I'll see you soon." He winked at her and jogged towards the street.

"Where are you going? Where's your car?" Adele had to cup her hands around her mouth to get her voice loud enough for him to hear her. He ran so damn fast.

"I ran here!" He laughed at the look on her face.

"You're crazy! I'll drive you home!" She offered, but he quickly waved her off.

"I'll be fine. Go to sleep!" With that, he was gone.

Adele closed her door immediately and locked it. Her paranoia was still in the forefront of her mind. She jogged to the couch where her phone lay unattended and picked it up. Paul had put in his phone number as she watched the sandwiches heat up on the stove.

She typed out a text telling Paul to let her know when he got home. She wasn't even sure if he had his phone on him. But sure enough, ten minutes later, she got a text from him.

_'Go to sleep, beautiful. C u 2morrow.' _Adele winced with a smile at his text speak, and responded within a moment.

'_Who said I wanted to see you tomorrow? Maybe I have better things to do...' _

Adele bit her lip. She was staring at her phone in wait of his response. Being honest with herself, she felt a little bit pathetic. But, that didn't stop her when her phone beeped a minute later. She quickly opened up his text and failed at not smiling.

_'Ur better things should include me, smart ass. Be safe.' _

Adele tossed her phone on her bed as she walked into her room. The house felt too big for her she realized as she was brushing her teeth in the bathroom. She felt like the only mouse in the mansion. Maybe she would feel better if Sierra did come down sooner rather than later. Sierra had mentioned it in one of her phone calls, after all.

As Adele rinsed out her mouth, she heard her phone beep in the other room. Instantly excited that Paul might have texted her again, she jogged over to her bed.

_'Hey Adele, it's Emily. I haven't seen you in a while. You should come to the house tomorrow and hang out with me while Sam's busy! I'm thinking about baking cookies for the boys anyways. Let me know!'_

Adele felt a bit of disappointment when she didn't see Paul's name. But, Emily was almost as good. She did miss Emily's positivity and friendliness. She made Adele feel like part of the family almost immediately.

_'Sure, Emily. I'd love to come. When should I head over?' _

By the time Emily responded, Adele had already showered and changed into her pajamas. Adele set her alarm for eleven so she could be ready to be at Emily's house by twelve.

By the time Adele finally clambered into bed, she was exhausted. Even though she'd had a three hour nap, she still felt like she'd run two marathons.

For the first time in weeks, Adele slept through the night without waking up. She chalked it up to being really tired from her emotional outburst. But, in the back of her mind she had a feeling it was Paul.

Review if you please! Hopefully another chapter coming soon!

-A Lesson Before Dying


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